Fallen Revolution
by Lasangredemio
Summary: The Enlightenment Age has dawned on the old world and totalitarian power begins to shatter. There are the loyalists and on the other side of the board are the revolutionaries, but what about those who simply cannot take a side? Sonic, Silver, and Shadow. Rated T for suggestive themes, but may go up to M later on. Please review after reading...I need critic to amend.
1. Declaration of the Dead

"Breathe already, God dammit!"

There was a deluge of his misery trickling down Shadow's shoulder, where the dendritic pattern of tears draped all the way down to the floor. A sharp sensation was terrifying the weeper's mind, and he was blinded by the madness that tore through his fragility. The thoughts had ripped him into two, like someone had skewered a spear of desolation into his once jubilant demeanor.

But Shadow knew this person would get over it, eventually. This crybaby always had to take things so personally.

The dark hedgehog wanted to say something else, but he was not exactly the best poet of comforting words. In fact, he was best at destroying people instead of helping them. How ironic that his other close friend would decide to seek Shadow for a warm consultation instead of his blue counterpart. For now, the black hedgehog decided to keep his mouth shut, even in between his friend's gasps for air during the tantrum.

After agonizing lengths of more pouting, the white hedgehog seemed to have regain a grip of himself, at least temporarily.

"Are you done, Silver?" The words came out a little more sarcastic and heavy than Shadow had hoped them to be; his voice was genetically engineered to intimidate, not to comfort. Nevertheless, the pair of red eyes that retained a set of golden iris rolled up to look at his comforter in the eye. Even with the hideous blood red color lining his eyes, the golden ellipses in the centers gave a dull shine that was almost brilliant. Still, the albino was burdened with a deep frown that seemed to be unstable, and his own shoulders were still quivering. Taking a pause before saying something else, Shadow reached forward and stroked the vestiges of tears off of his companion's eyes. Silver flinched, half lidding his eyes each time the ungloved thumb moved in to stroke the sensitive corners of his ducts. Slow, but gentle minutes were spent as the ebony cleaned off the ivory's muzzle, and wiped off the excess moisture that leaked anywhere.

"Better?" grumbled Shadow as he recalled his hand to observe his slight work on his friend. The only response was simple nod that was devoid of any emotion. Inside, Silver was still fighting off the rest of the thoughts that lingered in his mind; they were still taunting him and stealing his confidence. Shadow noticed this and pulled the hedgehog back into his arms for one last time, except the hug was even deeper and their bodies literally made contact in every spot. The stronger hedgehog leaned backwards and against the plaster wall to allow his friend to rest against his white chest fluff. Shadow aggressively intertwined his legs with Silver's and his left hand stoked the white quills on the back, each with a gentle and caressing rub that sent a small twinge up Silver's sore back. All the while, his ungloved right hand caressed Silver's head and leisurely ruffled through the lengthy quills. This warm physical comfort forced the white hedgehog to release a quiet moan that was pleasurable to hear. With such close contact, Shadow's rubbing caused Silver's shivering to come to a gradual fruition and his steady breath returned to his rapidly beating heart.

It was silent once again, both hedgehogs were too comfortable in their positions and almost refused to pull apart from each other. But after another minute of this, Shadow realized his leaning posture against the plaster was beginning to hurt his lower back. Wouldn't he be more comfortable in bed with this crybaby…

"Silver?" The name was thrown out rigidly, almost like a command.

"Y-yeah?" Silver finally sputtered in response.

"I'm getting a little tired standing like this…" Shadow grunted a little vexed.

"S-sorry…" The albino leaned backwards and stood up straight again, finally out of Shadow's firm grip. Almost immediately, the black counterpart stood up straight too. Realizing his work was done, the cold attitude suddenly returned to Shadow and his voice was lowered to an even deeper growl.

"Now run off, and find something else to do Silv." was all he said.

Taking this command affirmatively, Silver only nodded again and took off, disappearing down the unlit hallway and into his room. Shadow sucked in a deep breath and slowly released it when he heard someone behind him.

It was Sonic leaning on the oak framed doorway, staring at him: he had come back from the town bazaar with extra food.

"Well, I suppose Shadow had a 'mommy' side too hmm?" Usually the blue hedgehog would have been joking around and making flippant comments, but the one thing that ever makes him dead serious are tears and misery. His tone was plaintive, and lacking that gleeful spirit that is always hinted in it.

"Dude…he lost his parents. Think that's funny?" scowled Shadow as he gave Sonic a cold stare.

"What did he say happened?"

"His village was luckily caught in the middle of a firefight, he says. Not sure if that's so, but it could be."

"So the anti-gov army is getting even closer to us I suppose?"

There was a slight pause as Shadow stopped to think.

"The Czar's militia should be able to keep those bastards from reaching us. Don't you think too much about it, Sonic"

"Sure," grumbled Sonic rolling his eyes, "And I suppose isn't that what everyone said before the revolutionists even set first foot on their conquest?

"Hey! I was just saying what was predicted! Think I'm really that stupid?" Shadow growled back, fired up with offense.

"Take it easy Shadz! I'm just worried of who's going where and when. But what about Silver? Can he really stay with us?"

"Can he?" snarled Shadow with cynicism. "Why of course! Why the hell not! Wanna throw him out and let him sleep on the porch!"

Here, Sonic was tacit, and he was suddenly nervous. Shadow was never easily intimidated, but Sonic's uneasiness made him uneasy too.

"Uh, Shadow…" Sonic mumbled looking just below the eyelevel of his friend. "Food prices have been, well, umm…skyrocketing like hell ever since the start…."He sighed and was about to explain more, but simply cut to the chase. "The army is going around and hoarding farms for food, it's been rather ugly for the sharecroppers."

"Oh, I see…." Shadow just pretended to think to himself and act studious, but in reality, he was provoked by the fact that his close friend decided to reveal this just now. "So why the fuck have you not been telling me this?" he muttered through his barred teeth while he was holding his head that was aching now.

"We would've been fine with just the two of us…but it's Silver who we can't—"

"Oh, so you suppose we don't feed him then? Is that right?" Growled Shadow once again. His back was somewhat arched, and he got even closer to the cobalt, approaching him with every contributing step.

"No! Not at all!" cried Sonic, defending himself and trying to rid the misunderstanding from the equation. "We'll just have to, well cut down on the spending a little and ask for a raise…"

"Don't you forget Sonic, that we are supposed to be serving in the Czar's army right? We might as well serve him and live like nobles instead of having to live in this damned village, for heaven's sake!"

"Oh come on now Shads!" said Sonic biting back as he rolled his eyes again. "And now you decide to start doubting why we ran away from our homeland to escape those enlisters?"

"If you hadn't been there, trying to convince my sad little ass, then yes! I would rather serve the government."

"You're hopeless…" grunted Sonic throwing his arms up into the air and turning around with exaggeration. "The Czar wanted us fighting for him only because of our special abilities…and nothing else. He doesn't care what happens to use as long as we save his rear end."

"Good for you. Then go join the revolutionists for all I care." Shadow said with sarcasm.

"Shut up, you black bastard." Cursed the cobalt under his breath as he was about to leave the dining room. It was, however, a big mistake to insult the ultimate life form. Shadow suddenly leaped up from his seated position on the dining table and unexpectedly tackled his blue counterpart within a blink of an eye. A loud cry was heard as the two rolled straight a wooden cabinet and pounded each other with their fists. Sonic managed to recover himself from the surprise and really give Shadow the beating of his life until both froze in their movements to see Silver standing in the hallway.

Neither of the fighting hedgehogs dared to move or speak, and Shadow released his choking grip on Sonic.

Silver seemed to have been in the middle of a deep nap, and the noisy quarrel seemed to have awaken him from his dream. He only stood there, glaring his still red eyes at Sonic and Shadow who remained on top of each other and staring back on Silver yet anticipating a response.

"I'm s-sorry to interrupt, but…." Sonic's ears remained erect as Shadow visually stared down at the albino. Neither of them realized how horrendously skinny he was getting, "…could I have something to, eat? I-I'm feeling a little hungry…"

There was an awkward silence, and Shadow silently gave Sonic a nudge which sharply urged the cobalt to 'go on.' Sonic's checks flushed a bright red of embarrassment, debilitating whether or not to eventually inform Silver of their food shortage.

"Uh, food? Ha! Why of course Silv!" nervously laughed the witty hedgehog as he got off of Shadow's chest and lead the starving hedgehog into the kitchen by the hand.

Shadow only sat there…..unsure of what to do as he heard Sonic creaking open the ice box.


	2. Rejuvenation of the Alive

It was dark, and the oil lanterns outside were lit by the public servicemen that patrolled the cobble street like ghosts at midnight. The temperature had dropped more than usual that night, and thick puffs of air could be seen escaping the mouths of the bohemians still lingering outside. Sonic let out a long grunt as he further settled himself into the clay bathtub that was full of steaming water. It was so relieving to feel the warmth splash against his sore bruises from his fight with Shadow. A night bath was something that the cobalt always did to relax himself, but with the expense of water inflating as well, night baths were going to eventually become a thing of the past. Gently grasping the bar of soap in his palm, he lightly scrubbed himself and dissolved the hidden pockets of odor off of his body; first scratching his ears and quills, and then running the ivory soap down his slender but fine toned body. The blue teen was not usually conscious of his attractive looks and depended more on his courteous disposition to attract the ladies (and even the other gentlemen) to himself. But for once, Sonic thought he was rather sexy looking. It was temping to hum out loud while the cobalt was busy washing himself off in the old tub, but he decided to keep his voice down to avoid giving Silver any unintended thoughts.

"Wonder how long we can last with eating only a loaf of bread and an artichoke a day?" He thought nervously to himself. While the water was still hot, Sonic dove down and submerged himself, then wiping off the excess sweat from his forehead and any grim that was lodged behind his ears.

"Poor Silver, what could be going through his mind right now?"

More water trickled off of his ears and chin, and he decided to stay in the tub a little longer to relax some more. He was about to think about Shadow when suddenly he found the ebony hedgehog standing there in the bathroom doorway. He was completely naked with a white towel flung over his shoulder and he only wore a mischievous smile that sent a nervous chill up Sonic's back.

"What the—"

"I see the girly hedgehog is taking his evening bath now…" Shadow was mocking him, but not personally this time. There was a hidden smirk of pride on him, and he appeared to be carefree for the moment.

"You're such a pansy, Sonic." The peculiar word rolled off of his tongue slowly, with an accent and emphasis.

"Oh, really?" Growled Sonic back rather seductively, "I suppose you're here to join me then?" By now, Sonic was really asking for it; and the image of a naked Sonic bathing in a steaming bathtub aroused the ebony hedgehog. Everything previous in the day had seemed to have been forgotten and the two eventually found themselves sharing the water in the tub together. Even if they weren't gay, they couldn't afford having separate bath times and spending more money to maintain the boiler-they might as well enjoy it.

Ever since the two have escaped the government's order of an enlistment into the militia, they have grown closely with each other living under the same roof for years—but sometimes they got a little too close for comfort.

It was especially difficult to contain themselves during the years of sexual adolescence, and there has certainly been some instances of rough play, but after all….they're just companions, aren't they?

"Mmmnnnhf! A-Ah, Shads…t-that feels good…"

"You like it just like that, don't you?" Shadow was not much of a caresser, but his hands were firm enough to serve his counterpart. Sonic faced forward and leaned out of the tub, resting his chin on the polished rim and enjoying the feeling of Shadow rubbing the soreness out of his knotted back. How ironic that Shadow would be treating the injuries that he inflicted on Sonic…

Silver on the other hand, was lying flat on his bed and still staring down at the photo of his family in the solemn darkness of the room. The gleaming moonlight that tore through the cracks in the drapery was the only source of light illuminating the monochrome picture in his paws.

The pain was still lodged in his heart, like a dagger still impaled through his chest. Of all the darned people who lived like him, it had to be him who lost his entire family in one quick night.

"Who could ever love me now?"

….

"I wish I was…dead like them" The other side of his conscience was appalled at what he had just stated, but he ironically felt comfortable with such a bold proposal. "If only I could see them….j-just for one, last, time…"

Then suddenly, as if the devil had skewered another blade through his aching sentiment, Silver burst into a full-fledged sob. Every single cold droplet rolled off his pale muzzle and into the palms that were clawing at his defiled face.

"Mom!" The albino bitterly cried out first, "Dad!" On command, he swung himself violently as he lost control of himself and later flung himself into the wall, cracking the plaster wall as his forehead smashed the rigid paint. The only photo of his family was hurled across the room and the glass frame shattered into pieces once it made contact with the door.

"Aw, screw you, you little horndog!" groaned Shadow as it was Sonic's turned to caress the ebony.

"Hey! Who's the one who's always trying to steal my virginity every night hmmm?"

"Oh, shut up! I'm getting rather impatient now, just you wait!"

The two aroused hedgehogs were about to go onto an all-out wrestle in the tub when they heard the sharp, but muffled noise of glass shattering somewhere in the house. Immediately, the hedgehogs froze and listened carefully through their erect ears. They paused, and there it went again with a another shatter which was followed by a muffled cry of pain.

Sonic's conceited grin suddenly vanished as he was the first one to realize.

"Oh, God….it's Silver."

Driven by their horrors, the two leaped out of the tub, leaving a huge puddle behind as both sped down the hall and tore through Silver's door, all in a split second. It was an indescribable, yet appalling sight.

His room was already in a mess just on his first night staying here. Clay and glass fragments from decorations littered the beige carpet, making it dangerous to walk barefoot there. The once smooth walls were defiled with scribbles from deep clawing and insanity. The one window in his bedroom was also smashed open, explaining why it was so cold in his bedroom.

But most of all, Silver was in a huge disorder too. He was looking paler than before, with his eyes carrying some sort of burden underneath them. There were scattered cuts and bruises that decorated his white body, and there was one deep laceration on the back of his head that was bleeding profusely.

Upon the rash break in by the two hedgehogs, Silver seemed to be undisturbed with their entry for some unknown reason. He simply laid there, curled up in a partial ball and shivering his ass off while he muttered curses to himself.

Sonic was too horrified to do anything at first, but Shadow took the initiative of leaping across the treacherous carpet and onto the albino's bed where he suddenly pinned him against the head of the mattress.

"What the hell has gotten into you, Silver**!**?"

There wasn't a response except for more shivering and a couple of quiet mumbles to himself. Shadow was holding him firmly, and feared that his friend was possibly suffering hypothermia due to his frozen body and uncontrollable shivers. To remedy this, and the concern that Silver would try to push him away, the aggressor wrapped his entire body around the frail white body and ruffled though the chest fluff. Sonic finally got a hold of his senses and carefully navigated his way to Silver's bed. Even with Shadow wrapped around the Silver, he was still emitting rapid quivers from his feeble self. To help, Sonic climbed onto the bed and without objection from Shadow, wrapped himself around the ivory one too. Neither of the older hedgehogs noticed this, but a small flow of blood returned to Silver's pale muzzle from the heat of the two naked hedgehogs squeezing him tightly and invading his personal space.

"Better?" Asked the cobalt. The quivering hedgehog did not respond, but an answer was given anyway when his shudders came to a gradual halt.

"Please Silv, tell us….is it your family again?"

He nodded, and Shadow gave the albino a soft glare for lying before that he was already 'feeling better.'

Nevertheless, the cobalt and ebony should've known better about Silver's instability.

Midnight was upon them, and Sonic was already getting tired. It was tempting to sleep right there on the bed with Shadow and Silver, but the cold was also starting to get back at the three of them again.

"Uh, Shadow?"

"What?" Growled Shadow.

"We can't keep him in here with a shattered window. How about we-"

"-He should sleep _with us._" he brusquely filled in. It was certainly not something Sonic had in mind, but it actually sounded good, depending on whether he was sarcastic about his proposal or not. Silver, on the other hand, did not approve of this idea, but knew he had no chance of resisting whatsoever.

Moments later, Silver found himself in the bathroom with Sonic kneeling on all four limbs and wiping away the large puddle left from the tub. Shadow, on the other hand, was standing over Silver and holding a glass bottle rubbing alcohol along with a roll of linen bandages. Slowly the dark ebony scrutinized every single self-inflicted cut on Silver and wiped each of them down with the sterilizer which was followed with a bandage wrapping.

"What the hell did you do to yourself?" chastised Shadow sharply, "Hurting yourself won't get your family back,"

Random cries of pain would be heard from Silver where the alcohol was applied to deeper lacerations, especially the one on the back of his head and underneath his long and slender quills.

Throughout the entire cleaning process, Sonic remained silent as he wiped away excess moisture on the floor and Shadow was implicit, listening to only the painful shouts from his dear companion.

It took another minute until the last bandage was wrapped around Silver's forehead, and Shadow stepped back to observe his handiwork on his patient once more. Silver sat there as the pair of red eyes stared down at him, but he mustered enough courage to tilt his head up and say something graciously.

"T-Thanks, Shadow…"

Even though Silver finally seems to have control of himself again, the other two still refused to trust him alone. The albino gave fierce resistance at first, refusing to sleep with two guys and finding it awkward to be in the middle especially. But as always, Sonic and Shadow were always able to get what they wanted, even if its someone adamant and impulsive like Silver.

Crickets chirped furiously outside, and frogs near the pond sang in a partial harmony with each other as nature conducted its symphony in the bleak night.

Silver was still wide awake, and Shadow and Sonic had their eyes closed shut. Fortunately, both of them were able to give him some respect and allow him some personal room on the full sized bed. But of course, Silver eventually convinced himself to take an advantage of this opportunity.

He wanted to go outside again, and get another breath of fresh air or at least meditate. For some reason, started to feel like a prisoner here, being 'protected' by his two friends that he had known from since youth school. That was, until his family moved and everyone forgot him…..everyone except for Shadow and Sonic, and they still remembered him personally like he was their brother.

But why did they remember him? Why, after so many years? Was he really that good of a friend to them?

His two ears flinched to the sound of light snoring coming from Sonic at first, then heavier snores emitting from Shadows muzzle. He had to admit, Sonic looked rather cute in his sleeping position while he was completely stoned out. Shadow on the other hand, reminded Silver of a sleeping beast, a beast that would never forgive him if he was awakened.

Careful enough to not even disturb the dead, Silver slyly crawled out of the thick cotton blankets and crept across the mattress like a nimble mouse. His hand was on the edge of the bed when he suddenly felt himself being pulled back. A painful sensation was felt on the back of his head as he quietly cried out in pain: Someone was grasping him by the quills!

Desperate, Silver shot his head around to see what was holding him back. It was Shadow, and he was holding him by the quill with simply one hand. There was a dangerous expression on his face, and this made Silver's blood run cold as he swallowed nervously.

"Didn't think you could sneak away like that did you?"

Silver this time let out a full squeal as the captivator leaped out of the blanket and tackled Silver straight on, effectively pinning him tightly against the mattress. Any struggles the weaker hedgehog made were useless, and they only made Shadow tighten his constricting grasp even more. Another cry came from him as he was flipped front side up and the dark hedgehog held him down on all four corners. By now, Sonic was sitting up straight and rubbing his head in confusion, dazed of what was going on between the white and black hedgehog.

"What were doing Silver**!**?" spat Shadow in his face, "Tell me!"

"P-Please! Don't hurt me! I w-was—"

"Was _what**!**_?"

"Shadow, let him go already." the cobalt cut in. The ebony looked at the cobalt with distrust, but unwillingly released his firm grip on the prisoner.

It was a long night for the three of them to get their sleep; everyone had their own troubles to deal with, especially Silver. For the next couple of days, Silver would probably have to sleep in cuffs attached to his companions.


	3. Propositions

Fruitless weeks pass in finding a way to bring ease Silver's burden; every night he is watched closely by his two companions, making sure he still has a shred of sanity. News of the revolutionary army become increasingly grim with each passing day; the czar is struggling to keep them from winning victory after victory. Prices of basic commodities in the market continue to skyrocket and propose its ridiculous prices with each passing day. Even though Sonic and Shadow have made equal rations among each other, Silver refuses to eat anything, and mentioned that his mother always fasted when he was still young. To make matters worse, a potato mold successfully took root in Sonic's yard, forcing him to dispose half of the field and still risk another plague to come. The once cocky attitude of Sonic slowly diminishes and Shadow becomes more taciturn than ever.

Silver on the other hand, was depressed enough already...

The pale morning light poured in through the cracks in the thin curtains, and Silver slowly opened his golden eyes to see that he was the last to wake up. Before he got up, a sharp stinging sensation sent his body into an overdrive, and he groaned in pain as he felt every single cut on his body burn like hell. He ruffled through his own quills and painfully climbed out of bed to find the other two. There was no one in the kitchen, but on the front of the table was a pile of stale and cold crepes that piled up to an inch thick.

And before the pile of his breakfast was a taped note. It read:

_Morning Silv…sorry for not giving you a personal wake up call, but Shadow and I both have something to take care of this morning…_

The albino quietly read the rest of the morning note to himself, skimming past all of the fancy details and finding out that Sonic was out in the market and Shadow was somewhere working on his job.

But in fine letters at the bottom of the note was a warning written in handwriting that differed from the beginning note. The single line read:

_And don't you even THINK about running away now. I have my eye on you…_

This was probably the most unoriginal threat Silver has ever read in his entire life, but for some reason, each of the words burned scary thoughts into his mind. In solitude and silence did Silver eat his breakfast, but he contemplated on what to do for the entire day. What would he do here? Usually he would've helped his out with his father conduct business or assist mom with her chores.

But he need to stop thinking about his family, otherwise, it would get back to him again. And what would Shadow do about it?

His crazy thoughts were immediately dissolved when he heard the front door creak open and shut. It was Sonic who had returned from his, 'excursion.'

"Oh look who's finally awake!" said the cobalt with his usual greeting; he was always trying to make Silver happy, but it was going to take a lot more than just a positive attitude to rid the burden off of Silver's back. For now, he simply nodded back at the cobalt and continued nibbling away at the crepes.

"Ya know, it's already well past noon and almost early evening now. I've heard that one the czar's battalions managed to capture a revolutionist leader; hopefully that'll—"

"—I couldn't care less about the damn czar or his army,"

His sudden interjection caught Sonic completely off guard, as if he tried knocking him out of his chair. There was a silence again as Sonic tried to find another way to get into Silver, but things were having no avail with him.

"Have you seen Shadow anywhere by any chance?" Asked Sonic changing the subject, "He's supposed to be on his break from work and here by now…"

Silver tacitly shook his head.

"I guess he must be late then. Tell me when he comes back, I'll be out in the field working on the potatoes, kay?"

There was no response, and Sonic shrugged and walked off.

"Poor him…..he's still traumatized by what happened weeks ago." The disappointed cobalt peered behind his shoulder one last time, and walked out the door with a working glove on his left.

Right when Silver heard the backdoor shut behind the cobalt, he stood up and tried using his telekinesis to levitate the plate into the sink. But his mind was absent, and his will so frail that he couldn't even lift an ant. He let out a deep and heavy sigh, wondering why life must be so long before death. Lethargically forcing himself off the oak chair, he settled himself down on the leather chair in the living room to take yet another nap. Sleep was inevitable anyway, he had nothing else to do the entire afternoon except read another Shakespeare novel or masturbate. He's already gone through all of Shadow's books, and he wasn't really in the mood for playing with himself. He might as well take another long rest...

...

There was a heavy knock at the door, and Silver gagged and suddenly jolted up from the leather chair to realize that it must be Shadow. The sun had changed positions, and it must've been at least a good hour since then. He grunted loudly upon standing up, but cautiously approached the door, unsure whether Shadow was going to tackle him on sight or something else relating to that.

His gloved hand fumbled with the lock and the palm expanded around the brass knob as his wrist twisted it.

Instead of seeing a black hedgehog right before him, it was a whole group of men outside.

And they were dressed in sand colored cloth uniforms that were each decorated with brass buttons. The men were bulking in their size, and slung across each of their shoulders was a bored musket.

The small albino literally leaped up and surprise and almost let out a cry from the unexpected surprise from these armed men. Were they here to mug the house? Where did these people come from?

"Who the hell are you?" he managed to squeak. His voice, he realized, sounded rather pathetic to these people.

A repulsive grin spread across the towering person on the actually porch; he seemed to be some sort of lead general, judging by the advanced amount of badges on his pale trench coat.

"Ah, you must be their friend yes? We deeply apologize for our, existence here, but we are looking for peo-"

The danger hormones flared through his brain and Silver shut the door on these strangers and bolted the door within a glimpse, hoping that he effectively shut the door on them and locked these crepes out.

But something wasn't right…the door wasn't actually closed. A solid boot was stuck in the doorframe, and the general was peering through the crack to examine the terrified Silver who was quivering inside, not believing that this man had caught the door in time.

When Silver stepped away from the door, the general casually pushed the door aside and walked in, giving a foul grin once more.

"Oh come now! Already afraid of us?"

The frightened hedgehog was about to make a run for it, but for some reason, he felt as if he were stuck to the ground and paralyzed in his own fear. He only stood there on the inside porch with a look of stupidity.

"Look, Silver, let's make this easy now alright?"

"H-How do you k-know my name?"

"It's simple! It's something called a 'birth certificate' supplied by the government. Let's have a private talk somewhere else now shall we? Come with me…"

Behind the general filled in fifteen to twenty more men, and they began to explore the house as if it were their own. Without any hesitation, they rummaged through drawers and cupboards as if it were some sort of indoor garage sale. But the hedgehog was wise enough to not interject or complain, for they were each carrying a .44 carbine on their shoulder and a personal sword.

"Please, Silver, ignore these people. We know this is not your house, and we'll be sure to not ruin and change anything, alright? Now come here into the living room where we can discuss your matters."

With no other option and surrounded by towering soldiers, the ivory hedgehog grudgingly shuffled into the couch where the general was sitting across him.

"Now….we know you lived somewhere else, with your family right?" The word 'family' tore a hole in Silver's stomach for some reason, and he swore he could feel his guts spilling out already.

"Y-yes, that's right."

"And a couple days ago, your family and town was attacked by the opposing army, do I have that right?"

"It was _weeks, _not days for your info."

"Okay, I apologize: _Weeks,_ then...am I right about everything else though?"

There was a silence, and Silver refused to answer.

"I asked you if I was right, Silver the hedgehog." He repeated in a firmer tone.

"Yes, my family and I were caught in a raid" He could already feel his eyes getting heavy with moisture; this general was so cruel, his method of question on such a personal subject was simply despicable.

A loud shatter came from the back of the house as a soldier tore through a cabinet, and Silver stood up to full attention, completely confused of what was going on.

"No, sit down, mister Silver. We're not done yet."

"Just what are you doing to this house?"

"Oh, since it's not really your residence, we're trying to search for clues….which reminds me of something."

"Of what?" stammered the nervous hedgehog.

"Do you by any chance, know of two hedgehogs named Sonic, or Shadow?" A shock ran through as he could not believe what he just heard; what does this bastard want?

"No sir, I've never heard of them."

"Really?" The general raised an eyebrow. His face was very flat and stiff, lacking any color or expression. "Are you sure about that?"

"I'm sure."

There was a pause in the talk, but noise continued in the background as the men clamored through every possession they could get their hands on. Leaning forward, the general got uncomfortably close to Silver's face.

"We know you're lying."

"Fine then, I know of Sonic and Shadow! What the hell do you want from them?" spat out Silver. In the back of his increasingly desperate head, he pleaded for his two companions to return soon. Just where are they? With the truth out, the uniformed man flashed another revolting grin and leaned back away from his subject.

"Yeeesss, that's right. Now tell me, where are they right now?"

This was where Silver refused to answer any more questions; this damn general was just using him as a tool now. Did he really think he was that stupid to not realize?

"Come now, tell us where they are, and we promise no one will get hurt."

_No one will get hurt? What was the meaning behind those words?_

"I-I honestly don't know," faltered Silver.

"Please, think hedgehog. We are simply looking for them because we need them in our battalion to fight off these barbarous bastards who defy the czar."

Still no response. The man let out a heavy sigh.

"Remember your family Silver? Are they still in your thoughts?"

Immediately, he shot his head up to face eye to eye with this interrogator. How dare he mention such a personal thing!

"Don't talk about them…"

"Oh, but your family's death could've been entirely avoided you see?" Suddenly the general leaped off of his chair stood beside Silver, crouching with his arm laying across Silver's shoulders like he was a personal friend. "We need more men and heroes like those two on our side to defend the innocent, and stop the slaughter of these precious families!"

There was a fire building up in his mind. This interrogator was trying to use his emotional response to help him. What a clever bastard he was.

"All of this can certainly come to an end with the defeat of the opposition if only you would tell us where your other two friends are?"

"Leave me alone…" muttered Silver weakly under his breath. "I don't give a damn about your stupid army." These were all bold words, but not exactly the most wise or courageous. The man in front of him shook his head slowly and looked down to the ground in false disappointment.

"Well, if you really don't want to help us then or save people, that's your call." And as if on cue, the two soldiers that supervised the entire conversation closed in on the albino's sides and effortlessly picked him off of the couch.

Silver's body was completely frail and weak looking, and he was a person you'd least expect to put up a fight against two armed guards.

But looks are always deceiving, yes?

A fiery, yet uncontainable passion flared through Silver, and a temporary surge of anger tore through his bleeding heart. The men gripping the hedgehog's arms later found themselves being flung forcefully into the air by nothing and sent crashing down to the plaster walls. A sharp crackling noise sounded through the air as Silver realized he had just broken one of their backs. But even more surprising, the general was not appalled at all, but genuinely fascinated instead and staring at a glowing hedgehog in awe.

"Perfect! Another hedgehog with a special ability!" cried the general gleefully. Cautiously he stepped forward and approached the infuriated hedeghog. "How about this:" He growled happily through his teeth, "Forget about Shadow and Sonic for now: We'll just take you instead! How about that? You can join us and you'll be—"

But Silver's rage did not stop there, in fact he could feel more resentment stab through his aching heart that caused the hedgehog to throw the general off of his feet and send him crashing out the window. By now, the entire squadron of soldiers entered the living room to investigate the commotion and found a glowing hedgehog along with two broken men to the side of him.

Assuming their target was already hostile, each of them extracted their carbine and took a shot at the single victim. Realizing he was already becoming sapped of his will, he cowardly dove for the window where the general laid dazed on the grass outside and narrowly escaped the deadly gunfire. Upon running past him, the albino spat on his black face and took flight once more.

"Fire!"

The sound of bullets racing past his fur was terrifying, and the hedgehog dove for cover behind the hill as he made his way down the steep slope and out of the gun's line of sight. He did not dare to stop running, and sped through the barren fields until he was sure he had covered at least a good mile. He was finally safe from those people, but where the hell were Sonic and Shadow? Did they forget about him on purpose or something? And what the fuck was with Shadow writing at the end of the note that he supposedly, 'had his eye on him'? This was technically running away from their home according to the definition.

He trudged through the dirt path through the unfertile parcels for long, torturous hours at a pace no faster than a snail. By then, the sun had finally made its first kiss with the rocks in the distance and nightfall began its domination in the pastel sky.

The albino felt his weakness return again as he dragged his shoes along dusty road that led to ultimately nowhere. Another fear spread through his already failing mind as he realized that it was all wasteland for as far as the eye could see, and night was about to engulf him with nowhere to sleep. He would not dare turning back or try hiding back in the urban areas with civilization since that would just lead him back to his capture. The only safe place was to be alone in this dreaded wasteland.

But it was not only a wasteland, but some sort of graveyard. The smell of rotting flesh wafted to his nose as the hedgehog plugged his nose in response to the pungent smell. There was no telling of where the sudden odor was coming from, but with the waning daylight still shedding its light, Silver managed to get a final glimpse of the field before him. It was a gruesome scene that was comparable to the greatest crime of mankind: There were dead corpses lining the entire rocky field, with decaying horses lying beside their once alive masters. What luck! Silver was hapless enough to stumble across of recent war zone. Silver groaned in disgust and felt himself succumb to this sick picture. Turning around, the albino was forced to release whatever was left in his stomach from late 'breakfast' and some wads of bile. Even worse, the wounds on all of these people appear to be fresh no more than a week ago judging by the amount of maggots dancing on the rotting flesh.

Regaining his inconsistent breath, he stumbled down the hillside and tried to scavenge the warzone, hoping to pick up something useful.

After searching, he managed to smuggle a small revolver into his side along with extra casings of bullets. He was equipped with something to protect himself now, for the time being.

But where would he go now? He was still all alone, a weapon would get him nowhere. The sun in the distance wished a farewell to Silver as it vanished behind the horizon line, and on the other side of the field rose the pale moon as it began its domination of the grey sky.

And unexpectedly, the hedgehog broke free from his last strand of hope and collapsed to the dirt ground. He wasn't sure if he was asleep, but he knew he was losing his mind and having a black out.

If not found soon, he was going to die alone from starvation.

And that thought made him happy. His chance to die was finally here. Better yet, why not just make this fast and shoot himself with the pistol?

…

Too late for that now...

…_._

…_._

…

…

_What a disgraceful sight! Is this what the government wants for HIS people? This, bloody massacre that will be the end of us?_

_It's the czar milady; he'll do anything with his authority._

_None shall tolerate this demon… God bless—_

_Ma'dam! I've found someone! Here behind these rocks._

_Alive? One our soldiers I suppose?_

_Neither, ma'am. It's unconscious, but still carrying thy beating heart. _

_Show him to me…_

…

…

…

…

…

_Mount him on the carriage, sire. He will embark with us_

_M-Milady?_

_Do you not understand? Mount him now! _

_Permission to ask, why, madam?_

_None of your concern lieutenant; we've found the person we've been looking for._

_Who?_

…

…

_Are you sure it's him? This…..putrid hedgehog? _

_More than positive, this is the one we're looking for. We've finally found him._

…

…

…

_And sire?_

_Yes milady?_

_In no way does this fine lad fit the definition of "putrid",_

…

…_._


	4. Introductions

His ears were ringing, but he managed to sleep in peace, that is until he heard a voice that was somewhat familiar. It was a person who someone Silver seemed to have forgotten. That sound, it belonged to a small but slightly aged female. Her quaint voice was not shrill, but rather soft.

"Silver?"

"Are you out there?"

'Shut up already for God's sake!' was the mental response that Silver came up with; he only wanted to die in peace. He was dearly hoping that he was on the stairway to heaven; oh dear God please, could he see his family yet?

Nevertheless, the voice did not give up, and again and again it rang in his head until an idea emerged from his stupidity.

Who was that? Was that his mother calling for him? That noise ringing in his mind certainly triggered something from his past.

"M-mum?" He muttered meekly as he tried standing up. His right foot dragged across the ground and underneath him until his foot was positioned beneath his heavy torso. Silver gave a firm push to the ground, and weakly stood up as he was shaking and vibrating furiously. He leaned on his right foot and hunched his back over to maintain his frail balance, and cracked open his stiff eyelids wide enough to peer through his slits. The world around him was blurred into a hazy blue, but there was a prominent figure of a small being standing a couple of meters away. It was only a dark shadow, but the person was extremely skinny like him and rather short.

"M-mum?" He asked again.

Suddenly, Silver fell backwards and landed back on the ground from his futile attempt to get up. There was an aching pain in his head, like someone had purposefully stabbing a searing blade into his lobe. He clutched his head as he cried out in anger and frustration. Where in the name of the devil was God when he was needed the most?

"Is that really you, m-mum? Where a-are you?" But that voice was no more, and he could feel himself falling once more. The vortex that he perceived to exist in slowly died away until he was blind.

Silver moaned as he tossed and turned in his sleep, unable to get a grip of himself. He was aching all over, with his stomach emptier than before. Opening his right eye first, a blur of dark colors shined through his mind as it reeled, but he could perceive nothing through the thick shadows of the room. Was he finally in God's chamber? Lord knows where in the heavens he was!

Clenching his stomach in pain, he placed both palms below him and tried lifting himself up. What he realized though was that he was no longer laying in the middle of a dusty road, but on a springy cot instead, surprisingly. Leaning backwards against the wall and sitting on his butt, Silver rubbed his sore head and tried to open both his eyes once more, only to meet a horrifying face belonging to a green hedgehog invading his personal space. In shock, the terrified hedgehog jolted even farther back against the wall and nearly shrieked. The dark jade hedgehog that was now towering over Silver before the bed only released a heavy chuckle. Silver scrambled to get a hold of himself and leaned his back against the jagged stone wall with his hands supporting his weight as he could only wonder who this green hedgehog was; this person had a similar shape that resembled Sonic. But nevertheless, the other striking attributes of this stranger did not comfort him, nor did they remind him of anyone else familiar.

Of course, with those gleaming fangs and larger body frame, in no way could this person remind Silver of Sonic at all.

"Well, well, well, the princess finally woke up! Haha! Did I scare you?" he boomed suddenly.

"W-who are you?" asked Silver catching his breath. "Am I in heaven? Are you-"

"Heaven**!**? You mean God's palace!**?**" He laughed hysterically at Silver's confusion, "Do I look like your angel to you? I'm Scourge, and it's my pleasure to meet such a fine gentleman this evening." This stranger was terrifying, his sarcastic voice carried a heinous tone which was embraced by the number of fangs in his wide jaw. His breath was also foul, with that familiar odor of cigar smoke.

"Scourge?" Silver thought to himself before he spoke, "What a hideous name!"

"B-but...Where am I?" questioned the terrified albino, "I'm not...dead, am I?"

"DEAD**!**?" shouted Scourge in utter surprise, "Haha! You'll be dead soon if you keep acting this stupid, I'll tell ya that!" He sat on the bed with Silver, and even though his back was hunched while sitting, this demon was still significantly taller than Silver. Boldly, Scourge wrapped his arm around Silver's shoulders and pulled him in close like a friend. He pulled Silver in so close to him that their chins nearly touched, but their shoulders made contact. Puffs of air that left this person's nostrils flared against Silver's eyelids as he spoke. "Let me just tell you the obvious kid; you are NOT dead, and you are NOT in heaven. Oh no little boy, you're faaaar off from somewhere called 'heaven'."

"Then, where am I?" asked Silver extremely dismayed: that 'dream' was no reality, it was just his desperate reverie hoping that he was truly dead.

"Tsk, tsk. Questions, questions! Can we just talk about ourselves a little?"

"I honestly could not."

Scourge sighed, but got up and bent over the table next to Silver and picked up an empty white cup. He then lifted an iron kettle with his other hand and poured a steaming drink from the spout and into the porcelain. The cup was filled to the exact rim in the bleak darkness of the room, and Scourge set the kettle down to pick up a plate of wheat biscuits that were meant to be for Silver. Carrying the cup and plate, he vulgarly pressed the supplements into Silver's hands, ordering him to take all of it. The mixture in the hot cup seemed to be some sort of herbal liquid, and the bread appeared to be black rye. Although Silver was nearly dying of thirst and hunger, he would not trust Scourge with this random act of 'generosity.'

The white hedgehog stared at the hot drink in confusion. "How do I know if you didn't put-"

"Look here, kid." Scourge grumbled, "If we were poisoning you, then why are you you're here in the first place? This tea is just our traditional mixture that keeps our soldiers warm, so I'd take that if I were you. And you know how damn expensive bread is now these days, don't you?"

"You s-said, 'soldiers', sire?" asked Silver cautiously. Something was not right about this...

"Just take it already, dammit!"

Silver eyed Scourge suspiciously and carefully sniffed the vapors emitting from his hands as he stuck his slender black nose into the rim and took in a long whiff. The sharp fragrance of ginger wafted into his nostrils, and this aroused his desire to drink it, almost forgetting how hungry and dehydrated he was. Rapidly in three large gulps, he managed to indulge the tea without much hesitation. Then moving onto the plate, and managed to wolf down the five small pieces of bread within a minute.

"Good, at least you can follow my order of drinking something from a cup, or simply eating some loaves of bread. I guess you're not that stubborn after all..." mocked Scourge as Silver made his last swallow.

"Was that supposed to be a joke?" said Silver flatly as he stood up to set the cup and plate back on the table.

"Maybe, maybe not...I hear that you're one of those sensitive people who can never take a joke." snickered Scourge. He leaned back in his chair and casually stretched his arms, completely obvious to Silver's irritation.

"Really? Who told you that?"

"Doesn't matter to you kid," spat out Scourge brusquely. After Silver sat back down, they resumed and Scourge leaned forwards towards the ivory hedgehog. "Now how about we chitchat about yourself some more? I'd like to know-"

"There's nothing about me that would fascinate anyone, kay?" Silver curtly pointed out, "I'm just a regular kid plucked off of a graveyard who's stuck in this hellhole. So piss off and leave me alone."

And unexpectedly, Scourge took Silver's outburst as a major violation and suddenly pinned the albino's chest against the middle of the bed. Scourge's shoulders were rubbing against his victim's, and his legs intertwined with Silver's, effectively subduing any chance of resistance from the albino's lower half. As Scourge maliciously ravished Silver, the white hedgehog screamed in fear and found himself quivering when the green one also stuck his arms above his own head, ensuring that he would not have a chance to fight back. Scourge's heavy breath could be felt against the ivory's bare chest, and he once again flashed those sharp fangs, threatening to bite at any given moment.

"How about, you tell me your name first of all? That's always something interesting to hear!"

"I- I, don't—"

"Your name!" Scourge repeated as he shouted in Silver's flat ear. His muzzle was close to Silver's and this personal assault on the bed was destroying whatever strength the albino had left. There was no way he would be able to force Scourge off of him with such a weak force now. Not even his telekinesis would be able to save him in these tight premises.

"Name's S-Silver...Silver the hedgehog..." His answer was sharp, with difficulty in pronouncing his own name.

"Silver hmm…" Scourge said rolling his eyes and pulling back from his victim as that name bandied in his mind, "Bah! What a generic name!"

There was a pause, and Silver could hear his heartbeat pounding away in anxiety, unsure of what's next.

"Okay then, Silver. How about you tell me who the hell you work for?" Scourge did not let up on his authoritative advantage over his victim, and he seemed to enjoy abusing the ivory hedgehog.

"I-, I'm not affiliated with anyone!" stammered Silver, "Why ask me this now?"

"Sure, sure!" said Scourge rolling his eyes, "This is what all of the other prisoners claim. How about I ask you where you came from? Is that specific enough?"

"Let me go!" cried out Silver. And with a focus, Silver managed to slip his right leg free and suddenly gave Scourge a good kick to the lower stomach. This slight infliction managed to catch Scourge off guard at the right timing and Silver liberated himself from the iron grip. As Scourge grunted out in pain and clenched his sore abdomen, Silver rolled to the side and underneath as he scrambled out of the bed, and to the single wooden door in the room. The corridors of the rectangular premises were small, and Scourge closely followed behind his prey after recovering from his injury. As Silver dashed for his life across the room, he landed fist first on the door and pounded on the iron frame for dear life: it was locked!

"Come here my little toy!" laughed Scourge as he leaped in the air and tackled Silver. This brought an abrupt an to Silver's banging and screams and he found himself being dragged to the bed once again by the feet. As this happened, Silver kicked and squealed through his nauseous headache but his resistance was futile against this monster. When Silver was flung back onto the bed like a useless doll, Scourge continued to mock him and his pathetic excuse for being alive.

"P-Please! I- I don't know what you want!"

"Of course you do, stupid boy!" cried out Scourge, "I just asked where you came from! Is it that hard to say?"

While Silver felt completely helpless and dazed on the bed, this man continued to play with him and give hallucinations. Exactly what sin has he committed to deserve such punishment? Silver could only cover his face with his sweaty palms and pray that this green hedgehog would be merciful enough to not bite off his ears or rip out his tongue.

"Whaaa! Don't hurt me!"

And if the timing could not get any better, the wooden door in the entire room suddenly swung open, and a flood of light broke through the darkness. Both hedgehogs on the bed cowered as they protected their eyes from the unexpected light and tilted backwards on the mattress. Immediately, Scourge leaped off of Silver and stood next to the leg of bed with his chest up high and feet together so he was standing at a stance, as if he were some parade man.

There were three silhouettes standing in the doorway; the two outer shadows had tall and masculine figure which looked the same, but the middle one had a smaller and slender frame.

Scourge gulped and didn't bother looking directly at the black figures, he only stood there. The middle shadow slowly stormed towards Scourge as he thought up of an explanation.

"The prisoner is awake mila—" He was immediately cut off with a sudden slap across the face from this silhouette. It was loud, and painful one too. Hiding his agony, Scourge clenched his teeth and gripped his burning muzzle as he bowed in shame.

"You," the silhouette spat at Scourge's burning face, "Out of my sight, now." It was a female's voice, with an extremely heavy, but beautiful accent.

Shamefully bowing his head and clenching his stinging cheek in respect, Scourge dragged his feet out of the room and left.

"And I want you two out also." The other two shadows still standing in the doorway bowed their heads an inch and left, leaving only Silver and this person alone in the room.

This time Silver, gulped as the unknown walked towards him and stopped. She bent down next to the table next to him and carefully observed the unlit candle. Silver did not dare to say a word, but this lady spent some time staring on the wick. She seemed to be intrigued by an unlit candle, apparently. After a minute or so, Silver mustered his courage and said something.

"Hey, uh…are you going to light that with something?" Muttered Silver hesitantly, hoping to stay on her good side, "It's been kinda dark in here-"

And casually, this person stuck her index finger out and rekindled the burnt string with a small flame that suddenly danced off of her fingertip. In shock, Silver nearly jumped back from this simple performance of lighting a candle with an index. He manged to keep a hold of himself, and tried to distinguish whether what he just saw was real, or simply a classy magic trick. But evidently, this was no ordinary person, there's something strange with her, he could feel it supposedly.

"W-who the heck are you?" stammered Silver.

"My name is not important for now." Her face was finally revealed, with the orange light radiating on her violet face and white muzzle. She appeared to be a cat, with a slender body and a long tail.

"You can just call me, Milady, or Madam."

"Milady? Madam? What a snobbish person…" thought Silver to himself.

"I take that you've been having a rough night so far?" She asked as she sat on the edge of the bed and stroked Silver's sore leg. Even though there was a blanket separating his bare fur from her hand, the sudden gentleness from her fingers gave the albino a shiver up his back.

"I g-guess so…" Silver shrugged his shoulders. The purple cat continued to encircle this white hedgehog, almost as if she were visually examining him for something in particular. Her eyes in the darkness naturally shimmered, the reflection produced a slightly vibrant hazel with a hint gold. Those pupils that centered her irises were enlarged and the black holes behind them seemed to lead nowhere, like there was nothing on the other side of her head.

"I admit," she said solemnly with he head still staring down Silver's lap as she walked back around, "it was not the wisest decision to let Scourge chaperon you: He has been acting rather improper to strangers recently,"

"So, why the heck is he here anyway? What does he do?"

"Scourge was an excellent front-liner, but now he is one of our most valued strategists."

"He's your strategist?" snorted Silver through his nose. He was feeling something hitting him, however: previously Scourge mentioned soldiers, and now this lady says 'strategist.'

"He's rather, different than all of us. There's always more than what meets the eye," advised the cat.

"Okay, cool then! Thanks for the advice, _Milady_. How about you tell me where I am so I can get the hell out of here now?" asked Silver impatiently.

The purple cat did not appreciate the sarcasm at all, but she sighed.

"You, Silver, are inside one of our military compounds that's stuck in the middle in government territory. There is no way of forcibly getting out of here on your own will."

"I'm, not at home?" he asked disbelievingly. "You mean, I'm a prisoner of the czar?"

"For God's sake, think! You, are currently in the hands of the rebel army and the 31st division: Where you are is in base ten miles off of Achinsk."

Achinsk? That's at least a good fifty miles away from where he lived if he could remember his country's map correctly. But how could his luck get any better? First, he narrowly escaped the czar's attempt of capturing him, and now his escape has led him into extremist hands. By now Silver was absolutely dying to see a familiar face, either Sonic or Shadow would do. Or better yet, he wished he would drop dead at any given moment and meet the hands of God, his creator. But anywhere else would do, but to stay here.

"I shouldn't be here," grumbled Silver under his breath, "I should be at home now, with my parents."

The female heard this clearly, but simply ignored it, pretending to not hear it. She quietly sighed under her breath and waited.

"We were hoping you'd be able to restore your strength here and begin the introductions first thing tomor—"

"Introductions**!**?" Silver cried unexpectedly from his resting position, "You think I'd be willing to work for these barbarians who killed my family?"

"Your family?" she asked confused.

"And what business do you have, saving my arse while I'm out there in the middle of nowhere?" rambled on Silver, "I could've just died and lived a happy life with my parents instead of being held priso-"

"You're getting awfully bold with your words." She warned, "Control yourself Silver, I'm here to help you."

"Help me?" he chuckled, "Is that right? Well, to hell with my life then! You can't help me!"

"You are not in hell Silver, neither is this place that you sleep is, hell."

"Oh for God's sake, this place worse than my nightmare! I want to go home already!"

Silver could feel the power returning to him and well as his verbal will, but unexpectedly, he could feel himself getting drowsier and drowsier by the second instead, like someone was dimming the candlelight. His fingertips were also numb, and a headache dominating his shambled mind. This abrupt fatigue did not feel natural at all, like someone was playing with his circadian cycle...

Then he tasted it on the tip of his tongue. Silver's eyes widened in fear as he realized.

"W-what did Scourge put in that "tea", that he gave me?" His speech was extremely slurred, and as if he was drunk. The female cat only smiled, watching her own victim suffer from his effect.

"Ah yes, you mean our herbal mixture, no? It's nothing but some hot water and a mix of our local ginger with some turmeric. I thought you needed it considering how much you've been fasting for so long..."

Silver dashed over to the table and traced his finger around the slippery rim of the white cup, and eyed this young person suspiciously, physiologically intimidating this girl into spilling out the answer before him. Strange enough, more dark circles appeared in the corner of his eyes, and the lone candle in the room was suddenly getting even darker, like someone was purposely snuffing the flame out. But what was not expected that once Silver finally lost control of himself: a small crazy grin emerged across his bitter face, as if the happy facade were stretched onto him. Whatever drug he was on was making loopy too, and Silver fell backwards onto the bed where he was beginning to endure the first couple of fits of artificial laughter.

"...Perhaps I possibly added a hint of a sleeping draft to the mixture, yes?" she added at last after Silver was feeling his body going completely numb and this laughter take over him. "I knew putting you back to sleep wouldn't go well for the resting soldiers here tonight. How about I see you first thing tomorrow morning at breakfast, where we will finally stop your painful suffering?"

Silver was now panting, and he was terrified. With a final, but futile, attempt, he sat up to confront this evil witch, but had difficulty with his head in discombobulation. While sitting up, all he could do is spit words at her as he quickly drifted off into nostalgia.

"Godamn you, you stuuuupid...ahhhhh..." And with a heavy thud, Silver finally collapsed face down onto the bed, not moving another muscle. He was stoned out cold.

The flame flickered in the solemnity of the dank room, and heavy pounding could be heard above their heads: another storm arrived and water droplets began to leak through gaps in the ceiling seams.

She sighed to herself, vexed by the fact that this sour weather was not going to let up any time soon. But more importantly, she had mistakenly underestimated the strength and willpower of this hedgehog sleeping right before her. Her dainty fingers reached down and stroked the white quills on his back, marveling at how intriguing this hedgehog was.

"He's so, soft."

Ruffling through his quills one last time, she gently rubbed the ears and slowly abandoned him, leaving him to sleep for the rest of the night and carefully thinking about the plans for tomorrow: Silver was going to have to work with them, whether he would like it or not. She was usually always confident in herself, but something heavy was weighing down her conceitedness this time. The others claim that with Silver on their side, the czar wouldn't have a chance to stand up against them. But she was not the only one in charge of the rebel army, in fact, she is merely a facet of the group. Exactly who would be in charge of taking care of Silver? The sergeant? The leading commander? After serving with the rebels for at least a quarter of her life, she did not trust the treatment from these upper class generals: while they were all incredibly clever strategists, they were all morally corrupt.

She could recently remember those unfortunate soldiers who were haplessly assigned to the cruelest posts of all by these leaders. How cruel warfare must be in these desperate times! It would be a nightmare and crime of nature to observe someone innocent like Silver being assigned to a suicidal post.

Maybe retrieving this telekinetic hedgehog was not the right thing to do. Nevertheless, it was too late to send him loose now, for they were embedded deep into government territory.

Elsewhere, heavy rainfall dominated the outdoors, and none of the patrolling guards bothered to set foot out in the brutal storm.

It certainly was raining hard outside, and puddles from the void sky had transformed the dusty roads into layers of sticky mud.


	5. The Corrupt

**Author's note...some of these parts that have Shadow and Sonic absent contains a little bit of Silvaze...**  
**But don't worry, Sonic and Shadow will come back within the next chapter or so. Be prepared... **

_..._

_..._

_..._

_..._

_..._

_Have you seen him? _

_No good sire, I promise you I have not._

_Then where could he be?_

_I'm sorry, I cannot recall; maybe you should ask our village's magician! He is very-_

_Goddammit! We don't have time for that! Tell me, who else has seen them?_

His hair was in a mess, and the effects of the drug still teased his already tormented mind. He was lingering on his last fragment of hope before he wanted to shoot himself.

But maybe he should die, _after _he eats breakfast. Laid out before him was a whole table of food and platters, just like that girl from last night had promised. And there she was indeed, dressed in her brimming pale uniform that was also gleaming with various brass pins and buttons. She leaned against the window frame and watched as Silver was still contemplating whether to eat or not.

"You know," she spoke suddenly, "judging by how much you have fasted so far, you're not going to live much longer if you don't eat anything. It would be a pity if you decided to do that."

And slowly, Silver ate his food. He reached for a dry donut first and with his long fingers, tore the wheat ring into small pieces. Anyone who has not eaten for such time would usually indulge themselves quickly when presented with so much food, but to her surprise, Silver managed to retain his sloth like behavior and ate painful slow for a starved man. But nevertheless, the more food Silver took in, the faster he ate, and inevitably, he soon found himself consuming everything like a disorganized pig.

"Uh, Silver?" she asked humorously this time, "I am not looking forward to you having an ulcer, okay? Take it easy for God's sake!"

The miniature dining hall had a row of windows on the left side of the stone façade. The rain had stopped, but the deluge of water had transformed the dusty lands into a massive swamp. While Silver was still eating, there were the sounds of military commands being yelled out, and generals can be seen barking out random orders. All of this yelling made Silver uncomfortable but curious, and he stopped to peer out the window to his side. While there was no actual violence out there, the sight was absolutely horrifying. There were lines of men in their uniforms and all of them stood in their position silently like rows of iron walls. It was just a monotonous formation of people all dressed the same and set up like dominoes ready to be knocked over by lines of fire. All of them carried the exact same facial expression, with a bleak frown and their eyelids heavy with their eyes staring straight ahead into a hopeless nowhere. The general at the head of the uniformed men was shouting out more commands that were completely unfathomable to hear. And at random times, the collection of men would respond back as a uniform choir, with their response booming back as a terrifying whole.

"They're…..not people anymore," whimpered Silver to himself, "Like they're lining themselves up to enter their grave."

The cat now standing next to Silver did not want him to see this, yet. She politely tugged on his back and pulled him away from the window.

"You needn't see what is happening out there."

Silver was on the verge of screaming his head off and losing his sanity, but with his last string of hope, he managed to control himself somehow.

He was once again seated onto his chair, but he no longer had his appetite. The white hedgehog did nothing but stare off into bleak future through his empty heart. He was doomed for sure.

"Look, Silver! What you just saw and heard out there is not you. I promise, you're not going to end up like one of those men that you observed out there."

There was no response, and he looked down at his lap. The tan trousers that they had given him were slightly large and the cadet button up that he was wearing was extremely uncomfortable and itchy. Even though it was freezing in the austere hall, Silver could feel his palms sweating and his heart racing furiously in anticipation of his undesirable future. Silver finally decided to himself at last: there is no mercy in this small world.

The purple cat was about to say something to comfort him, but the sound of iron doors busting open at the front of the room startled her, but not Silver. Like Scourge last night, the uniformed feline stood at attention and took up her erect posture.

Silver, however, just sat there in his slouched over position, not bothering to look up.

"Sir!" the now standing lady yelled out with articulation.

"At ease," came the reply from someone. It appears that he was the only new person who had entered the room.

More footsteps could be heard as the sound of heavy boots crushed the loose gravel beneath them, and the silence in the hall allowed for the stomps to be echoed dramatically.

"Silver…stand up." Whispered the cat through her teeth. Her tone was fierce, like she was the one giving commands now.

But he did not move a muscle.

"Get off the chair and stand up now! He is coming!" She was quietly pleading him now, like she was desperate.

"Silver! For Mary's sake!" she snarled again through her gritted teeth. But it was too late, this towering person was now standing over the gloomy hedgehog. Silver could feel his space getting interfered, and a large veiling shadow overlooked his entire table. A pair of awake eyeballs was also burning down his back side, and somehow a stinging sensation could be felt from this.

There was an awkward silence as no one said anything, except for the generals outside who were still screaming orders and rebuking their soldiers.

His heart was pounding heatedly, like it was ready to be set free from its prison. He wasn't sure who this person was. But as he sat there, the tall man encircle him and observed him from all angles, like a careful watchdog.

"So, you are the one everyone has been talking about, no?" His voice did not boom, but it was very low, in fact so low that Silver couldn't tell whether it was a friendly greeting like Shadow or a menacing tone like Scourge. "I hope what they say about your telekinesis is true."

Silver ignored this huge man and refused to look up to continue staring at his own lap. For the time being, the only way he would possibly get himself out of this mess was the pretend that he doesn't have any 'special' abilities like everyone says.

No one should be in charge of Silver, he rightfully has control of himself.

But this was not so apparently. Without any warning of any sort, this towering man gripped the edge of the table with one arm and hurled the entire counter across the room along with all of the food that was on top of it. Silver jolted in his chair in shock as he watched the table make at least four flips in midair as it came crashing down into the grand piano at the front of the hall. The legs all snapped off, and the piano cried a hollow echo that seemed to imitate a ghost. Various bowls made flight through the air and shattered immediately at contact with the ground as it rained breakfast and glass.

And this terrified Silver out of his mind; right after he stood up at attention and faced this authoritative person.

It was not a man, but another hedgehog who was bulking in muscular size. He looked like Shadow this time, not Sonic, but his prominent secondary color was a pale blue, not red. His primary color was a heavy black but it contained a slight hint of light gray. And his eyes were poisonous light green that was contaminated with a shade of yellow, and these eyes reminded Silver of a deadly serpent, a snake that was both treacherous and unfriendly.

"Ah! I see, you decided to stand up at last."

Silver could not stare into those eyes, they were just horrifying!

"So, while food is extremely scarce and my men are starving, you decide to give this pig a feast?" Growled this black hedgehog at the female standing at attention.

"He deserved it, sir. Look at him! He has fasted to the bare bone!" she pointed out in response.

"So? My other men have died of starvation; why give this one a specialty in particular?"

There was no response. The dominant hedgehog sighed to himself in grief and turned towards Silver.

"You! Cadet!" Growled the hedgehog pointing a stiff finger at Silver, "You shall call me Sir Mephiles. You will be joining my division by the order of the lead commander."

Silver was about the protest, but the purple cat did that for him, only to no avail. He could see the facial expression on her suddenly change, like this was unexpected for her too.

"I beg your pardon Mephiles, he does not—" but her outburst was quickly cut off by a hard slap to the face from this black demon. It was a loud and crisp hit, and Silver flinched as he heard the clarity of the pain and the sound of his friend nearly falling over.

"You do not have the authority to question the orders of the commander!" yelled Mephiles out loud. "I have the word that he is under my division, not yours. Do not be mistaken!"

"But I will not let this fine man serve under someone cruel like you!" she fought back as she got off the wall, "You are a hideous and cruel leader! You can't even show any benevolence for your own men!"

"So?" screamed Mephiles in amusement as he now stood over her. "Why should I listen to you? Women are insignificant in this boundless world! They are merely just housemaids that are not worthy of taking up arms, which brings me back to wondering why you are even here in the first place, Blaze."

She did not say anything to this response, she only stared fiercely back at this beast with contempt and hatred.

"Call, me….Milady, not Blaze, you hairy bastard." she muttered weakly as she held her burning face. "And you do not even dare to strike a woman or treat a lady like that! I swear by the name of God, I will have you skewered like a boar and castrated the next time I meet you."

"Blaze?" Silver thought to himself, "Is that really her name?"

"Haha! A girl is threatening a gentleman now, how utterly pathetic!" howled Mephiles in sarcastic pity, "I suggest that you get outside, Blaze, you're fifteen minutes late to your own post, and your own 'men' having been waiting for you since sunrise."

And with that, Blaze scowled at him for one last time as she left for the backdoor of the hall. But when she passed Silver, she unexpectedly pulled him in close to her. They were bounded into a tight, but impersonal hug as Blaze whispered her final words to him.

"I'm sorry."

And with that, she left him, disappearing behind the single door with her tail dragging behind and the sheathed combat sword swinging from side to side. As the door slammed shut, Mephiles turned to Silver once again.

"Ah yes, at last that annoying slut has left me alone in peace! How about we begin the introductions, now?"

His serpent like eyes flashed into Silver's soul once again, and internally, he could feel his will dying away, like a burning candle that was running out of wick. His jagged teeth that lined his fangs were nicely white, but still horrifying assuming that this person is accustomed to biting people.

"Oh Silver," he growled gleefully as his new cadet stood up to follow him, "how we are going to have a great time together..."

And all this time, Silver was expecting to do introductions with Blaze, not with this sardonic monster.


	6. Bloodlust and Addiction

"Get up you, bloody comrade!"

All that came out was a pathetic grunt; his body was still stuck to the ground, unable to recover himself. His ears were ringing, and a furious headache dominated his left side, making it difficult to maintain a proper balance.

"I said, get up!" And to enforce this will, a harsh kick was administered to Silver's right side that was already cramped up. He shrieked in pain as he forced himself to stand upright, like a lifeless puppet being pulled by strings. His mouth was foaming, yet his throat felt sandy and cracked on the inside, dying for at least a droplet of water. His right ankle was swollen, and he felt like his calf muscle was strained, hindering him from even taking the smallest step forward.

"Git goin' cadet!" shouted the general as he gave Silver a rude tap to the back with the butt of his rifle. These men were simply immoral, enough said. Nothing else could describe these cruel bastards that torment their own men every day; all of this futile work was just to prepare them for the slaughterhouse on the battlefield.

And for what cause?

"Let me see now cadet Silver," asked Mephiles behind his desk, "You managed to run a mile in precisely six and a half minutes. Am I not correct?"

"No sire." Coughed the weary hedgehog as he shuffled nervously in the leather chair, "That was my best time."

"Ah…I see." Said Mephiles as he flipped through the pages behind his desk. He quietly hummed a dark melody to himself as he scanned every report and sentence. He tacitly tapped the calligraphy pen on his chin as he made it to the last page. While all of this was happening, Silver sat there quietly and secretly clenched his stomach in pain. Everything here so far has been brutal, not one thing was likeable at all. Why must everyone expect him to be capable of doing everything within the first day?

"Let's see, short range rifle accuracy, %38.06. Long range rifle accuracy, %15.23. Max bench press weight, 150lbs. Farthest javelin throw, 71.89 meters….."

Mephiles continued reading out the assessments from the pages like a book, and soon the dull voice droned out in Silver's fading mind, unable to keep himself awake. Finally, after long minutes of tedious lengths of reading, Mephiles slammed the documents on the table.

"Not bad I'd say for the first day, cadet."

"Please, call me Silver." He grumbled through his sore throat. Why must everyone call him 'cadet' all the time?

But Mephiles just ignored his request, as usual.

"Quite daydreaming you stupid beggar! Stay at attention!" Spat the general in his ear as he gave a rough push to his shoulder. Silver nearly fell over from this chastisement.

Life here was horrendous, even the devil himself would consider this camp to be a hellhole. Fortunately, or unfortunately as some see it, there were other young cadets there around Silver's age, who were forced into the rebel army as well. All of them were terrified, and most of the boys were not up to physical expectations like the older men. Silver managed to befriend some of them, at least temporarily. For some peculiar reason, all of them had such a short temper, and they could not stand up to any sort of benevolence that was offered to them. During one of the exercise breaks, Silver managed to find a seat next to these boys that were resting at a long bench. As they roughly chatted amongst themselves, some of them would take the time to retrieve a lengthy cigar from their personal tin box and take a relaxing smoke. Although Silver was 'graciously' invited to join them for smokes several times by now, he would only politely decline. But this time, however, Silver noticed that these cadets were also sharing a brown paper bag along with their cigars. As the boys puffed through their brown sticks, Silver leaned his head over observe the cadets fight over the bag, unsure of exactly what was inside.

The bag appeared to be containing at least a full pound of a white substance, similar to salt, but more granularly fine. Silver sat back down as these rowdy boys fought for a handful of this powdered 'sugar'; it appeared to be extremely addictive to everyone. After the bag was passed back and forth between the greedy cadets, it finally made its way to Silver at the end, and the young fox sitting next to him offered him a scoop of the powder. Interested, but still cautious, Silver cocked an eyebrow at him.

"What is this stuff?" he asked.

"The guys call this 'Bernice'," squeaked the small one as he placed some of the concentrate to his own muzzle, "But others call it, 'marching powder'."

"Marching powder?" asked Silver confused.

"Yup, you got! Take some of this, and some say that you'll be strong enough to march a thousand miles in one day."

Looking at the handful in his palm, he peered over to the others who were consuming it too, either by ingesting it or sniffing it up their nostrils. It looked pretty fun, considering that he would be able to march like an iron soldier if he tried some.

Carefully observing the others, Silver leveled his palm with his nose, and exhaled first to allow himself to take in a deep breath.

And he was just about to take in a deep sniff when suddenly a loud shout jolted all of the cadets slacking off on the bench. Silver darted his head up and dropped his handful of the power onto the brown grass below.

"Cadets! There is no break here! All of you, up! Now!"

By the end of the day, Silver couldn't even stand. It took him long, bloody hours to drag himself through the hall and arrive at his corridors. As he plopped himself on the springy mattress, he untied his shoes and tore off his uniform, relieved to feel naked on the bed once again. Before he could drift off into an evening nap, a set of three knocks tapped on his door. Cursing to himself, Silver stood up and hobbled over to the wooden entry and opened it, only to step back three feet in alarmed surprise.

It was Sir Mephiles, and he was carrying a devious smile on his face for some reason.

"W-what do you want?" stammered Silver.

"Oh, yes, I've been looking for you young cadet. Might I politely ask first why you are naked?"

Silver gave him a vexed stare, unsure of what to think. "Uh, I'm tired, if you don't mind."

"Fair enough, I understand you're not in physical shape like the others." He looked down, then down the hall, and finally back at the albino. For some reason, Silver felt an odd sensation growing at the pit of his stomach, something was not right.

"Come with me, cadet. I need to share a couple of words with you."

Moments later, Silver found himself in Mephiles's own quarters in the redoubt. The decorations inside were rather austere, with only an occasional bookshelf on a wall, and the bed in the far corner. In the middle of the space, however, stood his desk.

"So tell me, Silver." Began Mephiles picking up his notebook, "How are you feeling?"

"Fine, I guess. I'm still adjusting to some things though."

"Well," chuckled Mephiles through his nose, "This is your third day here so far, and your physical evaluations have been...rather poor if you don't mind. But, nevermind that! I do remember the main reason why you are here, in particular."

Silver waited for him to say it.

"Blaze tells me that you have some sort of special ability that we might find useful."

The word 'special ability' made him queasy.

"Care to explain about it, cadet?"

"I don't have any special abilities, Mephiles." Muttered Silver grudgingly. But suddenly, the dark hedgehog swung his fist across the table and struck him in the cheek, giving him a clean blow.

"Call me, Sir Mephiles, stupid boy. And for your own benefit, I would like to warn you that I do not appreciate liars in my domain."

"I speak the truth sir," whimpered Silver, clenching his sore face, "I have no control over such witchcraft that you speak of."

"Are you telling me that what Blaze said is false then?"

"N-no sir, what she said was truly a big misunderstanding."

"Is that so?" asked Mephiles cocking an eyebrow. Those sickly green serpent eyes blankly stared into Silver's golden pair, and this made him far beyond uncomfortable.

"You do know what we do with useless soldiers, don't you?" he inquired with his fingers stroking his rounded chin.

"No sir, I don't." the nervous albino swallowed hard. Mephiles leaned forward, and pressed his face extremely close to Silver's pale muzzle.

"Good. You don't want to."

….

"What else did he do to you?"

"Nothing else. After that he just let me go."

"Consider yourself lucky this time, Silver." Cautioned Blaze as she prepared herself for her work.

"Ha. I think it was just more than luck that got me out."

"Look, he's going to find out about your secret eventually, don't you try hiding it even more." sighed the purple feline as she rubbed the soreness out of Silver's lower calf.

"But what can I do? I don't want him to—"

"Nobody desires anything from that black bastard if you haven't noticed kind sir. What you _don't_ want him to do is ask that monster to resort to his illicit methods of torture, and this is exactly what you are doing right now."

"Illicit torture?" He asked in sarcastic curiosity. "Like what?" Blaze was setting a bucket of icy under underneath his feet, and she moved down to work on the foot injuries and various blisters.

"Don't ask, Silver." Muttered Blaze out loud, and she paused for a second. "I'll only tell you that Mephiles enjoys watching boys suffer in bed,"

"Suffer in bed? But—"

"Oh my God, for heaven's sake! Does it still not connect to you? The last thing I would desire to see is Mephiles performing his sinful deeds onto you. You're too young for that! And far too innocent as far as I see it." she said shaking her head slowly. Blaze then reached down and she dipped a white towel into the wooden bucket full of water and kneaded the damp cloth on Silver's tendon.

And with that horrifying thought in mind, Silver fell completely silent, unsure what to think of.

"Madam Blaze?" asked Silver while she was gently scrubbing his feet.

"Call me Blaze, Silver. You needn't call me Milady, or Madam anymore."

"Those boys that are in the rebel army too, may I ask how they got in here?"

Silver expected an immediate response, but there was a long hesitation in whether she would answer him. Blaze continued caring for his swollen ankle as Silver waited for a long response.

"Ignore the children, they joined just for the games."

"I don't believe that, I know there's something else. Something is wrong with all of them, like they are—"

"Fine Silver, I digress! They are orphans whose parents have been killed or gone missing in the war." Spat out Blaze in disgust, but also in painful guilt. "Does that answer it enough for you?"

"But why do they each have a personal box of cigars? And today they were sharing a bag of—'

"Cocaine?" filled in Blaze as she did not bother looking up. "Please Silver, I am not the one to ask for such terrifying questions."

And that particular question remained unanswered.

"Might I ask you a personal question this time?" asked Blaze as she was cleaning up. "Are you an orphan too, like the rest of them?"

"Depends on how you look at it," sighed Silver, "My family was killed long ago, but, I- I lived with two others for the time being."

"Who are those two others? Are they grandparents?"

"No, they're my companions," said Silver meekly, "They were my two close friends that treated me like their son, I'll never forget that…"

And for some reason, he realized that he was alone still. By now, a good solid month had passed since he had last seen that compassionate face of Sonic, or that intimidating façade from Shadow. Perhaps they were still looking for him, but how could they not have found him by now? Could it be that they have given up on him?

And it was that one fateful night, however, that he would meet his end. It was when Silver was about to retreat to his bunk for the night after dinner, and he was completely exhausted from the day. As he locked the door behind him, he casually tore off his uniform and stretched his arms in the air. After sitting down on the bunk, he was about to meditate when he suddenly heard the sounds of whining horses outside. Curious, the albino stood up and walked over to his only window in the room. And out there in the courtyard leading to outside the borders of the fort where lines and endless rows of various colored horses, each of them mounted their uniformed and armed riders. Silver found this gathering rather fascinating, but could not tell what was imminent. He studied every face, and tried to look for any familiar faces. What caught his surprise first, was that he noticed a green hedgehog first, which could not mistakenly be Scourge. There he was, armed to the tooth with a rifle slung across the back of his shoulders, and a combat sword to his side, just like the rest of the people.

But the person who was at the front of the lines was what terrified Silver: before the endless row of horses and men, was Blaze. Silver nearly leapt up in surprise, madly asking himself what she was doing out there, armed up and preparing to ride like the rest of them. Just where are they going?

Unable to hold himself much longer, the alarmed hedgehog speed out of his door and made his way for the exit leading to outside. As he nearly broke through all of the doors, he passed soldiers in the hallways that gave him unpleasant stares, who were already not fond of him. Right when he tore through the last wooden door to outside, many of the riders turned their heads toward Silver, wondering what a boy was doing up in the middle of the night in his night dress.

Panting under his breath, he made his way past all of the men and walked towards the front to find Madam Blaze. He was stopped short in his tracks, however, when two patrolling soldiers halted him.

"Stop! Where do you think you're going, cadet?"

But Silver simply tore through them too, like he had with the wooden doors obstructing his path. Now with a sprint, he worked his way up to front of the lines. As the guards chased after him, barking their orders to and commanding him to return, Silver stopped as he turned the corner of the line to meet Blaze who was on her own horse.

"Silver?" she asked somewhat confused. "Wha—"

"Milady! Please, wait!" he was cut off as the guards literally tackled him and fastened him to the grassy floor.

"Gotcha you little prick!"

"At ease, gentlemen!" Shouted Blaze at the two men tying up her friend. Both looked up puzzled, unsure of what she had just order them to do, "Return to your post lads, this gentleman brings no trouble to me."

And reluctantly, the two got off of Silver's back and eyed the albino suspiciously, carrying some sort of grudge as they left. Looking up, Silver finally met Blaze eye to eye for since what felt like weeks. Silver carefully dusted himself off and stood up straight before he spoke.

"What news do you have for me, sire?" There was a weary look on her face, she was evidently nervous about something.

"I don't have news, only a question." said Silver as he turned to look at the rows of armed men and Calvary, "Just where is everyone going?"

She only sighed to this, looking then, then back up.

"I was hoping that you wouldn't have seen this. I knew that if you are here, you would make it difficult for everyone."

"Make what difficult?" grunted Silver out loud.

"Look, Silver!" shouted Blaze at his face, "Can you not see? We are preparing ourselves for a suicidal conquest! I am to take my men west and clear a path in this enemy land so our other men can find a route out of here. Do you not remember I told you that we are still trapped in czar territory?"

"Y-yeah…" Silver muttered. "But why must it be you? Couldn't someon—"

"It's the order from the commander, Silver," she cut in coldly, "I do not have authority to question it, and neither do you."

"But you can't go!" he simply stated in reply, "I don't want you to leave!"

"Oh for God's sake Silver! What do you think this is? Romantic warfare? Do you think the Czar is going to give us any mercy if we don't sacrifice any men out there, including myself?"

"I—, I—" stammered Silver; he could not believe that she had just said that, it's like she's a completely different person who is a puppet being controlled by a different mindset: cruel and apathetic.

"So I suggest that before I call the guards back, you should leave and return to your corridors, cadet. Do not trouble me any more."

"But, Blaze!"

"Leave! Now!" was her reply. She did not wish him a farewell.

"Will, you come back by tomorrow at least?" asked Silver with desolation after a painful moment passed.

There was a weary expression on her face and she closed her eyes, refusing to answer this painful question that he had just asked. Silver could understand this, and simply nodded as he understood the tacit answer given to him. And suddenly, the fortress gates opened, allowing for the men and Calvary to begin their conquest. Without any sort of warning, Blaze rode off first, galloping into the dusty landscape along with her lines of men following closely behind. During this entire departure, Silver stood there with his mouth slightly ajar, and ready to tear his heart out without having Madam Blaze wish him at least a farewell.

After the Calvary galloped off, the infantry followed closely behind, only in strict formations and repetitive patterns of simple lines. Everyone carried the exact same facial expression, not one soldier could be seen with a unique frown, nor with a differing façade. Their bayonet's shimmered in the pale moonlight as they noisily marched onwards, and directly to their inevitable death on the battlefield that was about to claim their inane lives.

After everyone in that division left, the crickets chirped in harmony as it fell silent in the redoubt. The guards that stayed behind did not flinch, and remained in their positions to work as night soldiers. Peering off into the distance for one last time, Silver could no longer see the waning army through the dusty clouds. Dragging his feet, Silver made his way back to the corridors, where he would carry out Blaze's last order given to him.


	7. Farewell to Arms

**Author: "Mature content is still coming children...PATIENCE!"**

**Me: Yeah...SCREW finals. It's a pain the butt studying for them, it's taking so much of my free time, even though it's A FOUR DAY WEEKEND FOR GOD ALMIGHTY! :(**

**_Whatever happened to the definition of a school break?_**

...

...

...

...

...

That night, it was difficult for Silver to get his rest. In his tight corridors that he shared with another, Silver tossed and turned in his mattress and found himself restless, unable to pull his mind off of this hellhole. Blaze was gone now, what could he do without her? While she is off on her deathly conquest, Silver is still stuck here in this redoubt and taking more training just to dig his own grave in the future. By this time, he had almost forgotten the familiar faces of his two close companions that he lost almost a month ago now. And of course, he had already forgotten everyone and everything about this family. His mind was finding it increasingly difficult to hang onto all of these various sorts of fragments in his memory; all of these pieces were falling out of his slippery grasp. It was like looking into a shining mirror to search for those recollections, while the cruelty of warfare had taken its iron mallet and shattered these thin planes into thousands of intangible shards that were no longer useful to him. And while Silver wanted to pry his bleeding heart open and scream his agony out, he felt as if his arms were tied behind his back, and his soul heavier than a lifeless rock.

"Shut up!" Snarled the other who was sleeping in bunk on the other side of the cramped room. "Quit crying like a baby already!"

But Silver was not a baby, he was only passionate human who wanted mercy. And why should he be condemned for wanting just that?

Chocking on his final tears, Silver forced the side of his head to rest against the pillow and he curled up into a fetal position with his arms tucked under his chin, but before his knees. It was extremely cold in the room, and the linen blankets that were provided made no effort in retaining the generated heat. His sobs transitioned form bitter chokes, to terrified shivers as the freezing temperatures slowly worked its way towards his failing heart.

The ivory hedgehog made one last attempt to think back and remember the oldest memory since his childbirth. It was completely futile, and he could not recall a single event. He had forgotten what he used to enjoy doing, he didn't have a clue on remembering what girls (or possibly guys) he liked, he didn't know why he hated his younger brother so much, but worst of all, he couldn't recollect what his parents' names were.

His mind was racing, desperately trying to think of something else that would comfort him. His vision was getting hazy, and his toes were already numb from the cold. He shut his eyes, and prayed to God for a helping sign. There were some events that he could still pull together…somehow. If only he could hear his mother's voice for one last time…

"Silver! Silver! Where heaven's name are you?"

"I'm over here mum!"

"Where? Come over here right now! You didn't even bother doing any of your chores today for God's sake."

"But I don't want to!"

"Oh Silver! Get off that tree, now! I don't want you hurting yourself up there!"

"But it's fun up here!"

"My goodness, you can have fun with your brothers instead. Now get back down here before I have to lick you good!"

"fine…alright…."

…

Was that his mother just talking to him?

...

"Hey, look! It's Shorty from my class!"

"Oh no…I swear on my life, I didn't do anything! Just don't hurt me!"

"Did you guys hear that? He just swore for his mommy!"

"Haha! Look how tiny he is still! He hasn't grown since he was a baby I bet."

"What are you talking about? He's a freaking nerd who thinks he's so smart."

"And he's only a farmer for crying out loud!"

"I'm surprised you don't wear glasses kid!"

"Hey, what's in this book? Can I see?"

"Don't touch that! Leave me alone!"

"Oh my god, look! He's reading Shakespeare! What a pussy!"

"Ahhahahaha! He's must be in love with Juliet!"

…

"Wanna tell me what happened today son?"

"No…."

"Was it those kids again Silver?"

"No…."

"Don't lie to me son, I know it's them."

"It's not…."

"Then what is it?"

"It's nothing, okay daddy! I'm just, tired…"

"Well then, was it your teacher who—"

"Dad! I told it's nothing! I just want to go to sleep, that's all…"

….

"The only way to beat those bastards is to beat the crap outta them, that's how you show them."

"Really?"

"Yup. Guys like this followed me around when I was your age. One day I was walking home and when I met them as usual, bam! I almost killed every one of them?"

"A-alone? You mean by y-yourself?"

"Yes sir!"

"But, what they said about me is right…..I'm just a shorty."

"God, Silver! Will you listen to me? That doesn't matter, just meet them tomorrow and give each and every one of them a good punch to the nose. That'll show them for good."

"But there's five of them, how do I—"

"Just like me, bro. I got hit too, but I never gave up! And make sure to yelled your head off!"

"O-okay, I think I'll try it sometime…thanks brother."

….

"Silver, come here."

"Yes mum?"

"Sit down here. We need to talk."

"Y-yeah?"

"Your teacher has been telling me that you've been rather, 'absent' lately. You are not paying attention, you're falling asleep in class, your scores are falling, and you are not participating in classroom discussions anymore."

"No mum! Not true! She's just—"

"And do you care to explain how you failed all of your civil examinations? I just got the scores back today, and it says that you have failed…..every, single, bloody subject there is on the test."

"…"

"What have you been doing all this time, son? I don't see you working as hard as usual? Is something bothering you?"

"No ma….nothing 'is bothering me'…"

….

"Hey you! It's Shorty again! Where you think you're going?"

"Why is he smiling?"

"Because he's retarded, that's why."

"Hey, whatcha got this time in your stupid little book?"

"Yeah! Is it more—"

"My nose! That kid punched me in the freaking nose!"

"So that wimp can fight after all!"

"Let's get him!"

…..

"Think you're so tough now, Shorty? Take that!"

"Yeah boss! Beat him to the death!"

"Finish him off!"

"Tear off his limbs!"

"Strangle his neck!"

"Cut his throat!"

"Spill his blood!"

"Kill that little piggy!"

…

…

"What's going on here boys?"

"Oh, crap! Who is that?

"I don't care! What the hell does he want?"

…..

...

"Hey, you alright kid?"

"Ugnn…I don't know…"

"Can you stand up?"

"Mhmmmnnh. No...I don't think so. Are you here to beat me up more?"

"My goodness, no! I'm here to help you out. And, uh, your own nose is still bleeding like crazy. Pinch it up here buddy, that should stop it."

"Who are you? You don't look like the rest of them."

"Well name's Maurice, if you want to call me by my first name."

"Maurice?"

"But I prefer Sonic instead."

"Sonic? Why?"

"You'll see….but I'm curious to know what _your_ name is."

"Me? Well, it's just, uh, Silver."

"Silver? That's perfectly fitting name."

…

"Son,"

"Yes daddy?"

"Come here, I wanna tell you this before you go to bed. Sit down here, we should talk."

"What is it?"

"I know you have been getting into fights at school. Don't you try denying that now…"

"But daddy! I was just—"

"Ahah! Let me finish son. I just want to tell you something that I've been holding something onto my chest for what seems like ages now."

"What is it?"

"This place, this country, this motherland, that we live in Silver, is about to go through...well, a hardship, let me put it that way. You won't like it, but I promise you, we'll get through it."

"Hardship? What hardship?"

"Do you know your Czar, Silver? The one that you pledge allegiance to everyday at school?"

"Yes dad,"

"There are a lot of bad people out there who don't like him, and they want to kill him. And kill him bloody good they want to! They want to take his head, and cut it off clean in the guillotine. And then, after they kill our king, they will take over us, like tyrannical lions watching over a flock of sheep."

"They _are_ mean people, daddy…"

"Yes they are, and they are going to fight against the good people and kill everyone who is protecting the czar. And this, my boy, includes us: a civil war of this beloved motherland is coming son."

"War? How bad will it be?"

"An ugly and terrifying war that will hurt many good people out there Silver: It's all over the press now, and you'll hear your friends talk about it tomorrow."

"But why do people fight all the time dad? Does everyone hate each other?"

…..

"Name's Shadow. Pleasure to meet someone as refined as you this evening."

"I beg your pardon?"

"You obviously don't know what that means, do you kid?"

"N-no, not really."

"Oh come on Shads! Give him a break already! Don't you know what he's been through so far?"

"Would I care to know?"

"Shadow, you're so mean sometimes!"

"You, Silver, come over here."

"Y-Yes?"

"You're awfully tense for some reason. Are you nervous?"

"No, not really."

"Are you scared?"

"Not so much I think."

"Liar."

…..

"Well, I guess this means goodbye to both of you. I don't know if I'll see you two ever again."

"Oh cheer up already Silver! We promise to not forget you from our past, ever. That's our oath for you."

"Oath? But what's the point if you won't see me again?"

"You will Silver. We'll cross paths one day for sure; just stop talking and get on with it. Hey look, your parents are leaving now. Ya might want to catch up with them unless you want to stay here."

"Say, Silver? Just exactly where are you moving to, anyway?"

"To Kansk! A village in the middle of nowhere!"

…

"Silver? Silver? Get yourself and your brothers back inside, right now."

"What is it ma?" The ivory hedgehog asks in confusion. But the mother standing at the porch only whimpers and points to the hilltop a half kilometer away, and to everyone's horror, there is a line of uniformed standing in straight lines like an iron wall, with occasional artillery wagons stationed at various line points. It was difficult to recognize that unfamiliar banner of that army, and it was certain that those men were part of the rebel army.

And right when the young hedgehogs playing in the yard pointed to the cannons in fascination, the first unison explosion could be heard from the hillside, and this drenched out everyone's gasps. Everyone cowered and ducked their heads, but nothing had actually combusted on the field yet; the younglings peered up in the sky to observe lines of flaming bombs shriek through the air as they made their descent for their target.

Now realizing what was reality, the ivory hedgehog fled first and behind him, closely followed his brothers. All of them dove for their mother first and cowered inside the house, believing that this would shelter them from the bombs.

…

Silver suddenly jolted back into reality to the sound of the fortress bell furiously ringing from the one of the towers. Through this clamorous noise, Silver rubbed his head, realizing that he had fallen asleep somewhere through his memories. Casually, Silver rubbed his eyes and yawned out loud, knowing that this bell was just another one of those mundane drills. Other than the sound of the noisy alarm bell continuously ringing, he hears something else outside, like soldiers barking out orders like the usual training exercise. Slowly climbing off of the bed, Silver nonchalantly walked over to the window as he slipped his uniform on over his pajamas, and peered out the glass window.

And immediately, Silver's jaw dropped wide open in fear and took a full step back as he saw the horrific scene outside.

The entire center courtyard has been set aflame; however, not just the training fields, but also the castle itself that was on fire. There are various soldiers lined up to their positions, and each of the equipped with either their rifle, or an iron pail full of water. Uniformed men were scrambling all over the place, desperately trying to put out the fires, and defend the fort. It was apparent was raid was imminent, and a siege was underway.

For long minute, Silver stood there, completely dumbfounded and unsure of what to do; it was like this nightmare had come true to him. He sat back down on his bunk and quickly gathered his belongs to begin his escape. More angry shouts could be heard, and now gunfire was imminent. Every time a round went off, Silver instinctively covered his head, and gripped his ears with his palms.

"God save me." muttered Silver under his breath. He noticed that his roommate was already gone.

Unfortunately, the only weapon Silver had with him was his personal knife and a pair of stones to throw. Throwing his bivouac over his shoulder, Silver kicked the wooden door open and made his way down the smoky hallway. He was incredibly lucky, however, because seconds after he retreated out of his room, a stray artillery shell made a direct hit with the bunks and it completely obliterated the corridor, tearing yet another hole in the stone fortress. As he room exploded, Silver squealed in surprise and fell down to the ground as he shielded his face. More bombs flared through the air as they continued to tear down the sturdy fort, bit by bit. Realizing that this shelling was not going to let up anytime soon, he continued to make his way down the deafening hall and towards the exits that led outside. As he ran, he kept his head low, but did not bother to protect his hearing since he has already gone half deaf from all of the bombing. Through the heavy shelling, the rounds of rifle shots went off as the defending frontline exchanged fire with the enemy behind the lines, accompanied with the sounds of screaming men getting shot. As Silver made his way around the corridor, he paused in his tracks since he reached the corner of the hall that was stationing troops positioned at the windows. This corner was especially busy, and men furiously ran back and forth, transporting various equipment. But he ran past these men, and made his way towards the exit as more men scrambled down the halls, either carrying rifle ammo or medical supplies for the injured.

At last, the terrified hedgehog made it outside, and the intoxicating smell of smoke and burning corpses was intensified out there. He gagged on the poisonous fumes, and crawled on his belly for uncontaminated air. There was ash everywhere, and Silver was beginning to take up more of a gray color, instead of his usual white. The once sturdy walls that bordered the entire fortress have been torn down, and large gaps could be seen in the perimeters.

He looked over his shoulder, and heard the shouts of men at their positions above the fortress, shooting at their targets, only to be shot back at or killed in response. The frontline was failing to keep the raiders off their chest, and in the billowing smoke off in the distance were shadows of foreign soldiers approaching the courtyard.

"Cadet Silver!" boomed a low voice above Silver. Quickly, the grey albino turned around and looked up to see that it was General Mephiles standing over him.

"Get up you little bugger!" he shouted at him as he picked Silver up by the collar and set him up back up on his feet. "What the hell are you doing? Get back to your position now!"

"No! I will not!" growled Silver back at him, suddenly with his own authority. "I don't need to work for your damn army anymore! I'm leaving!"

This defiant phrase, however, gave Silver a heavy punch to the face from Mephiles. Right when the smaller hedgehog fell to the ground with a thud and a bleeding nose, the general picked him back up again, but this time, holding him by the neck.

"What did you say, cadet?"

Silver could not breathe, blood pour down his nose, and onto Mephiles's hand which was already bleeding from the start too.

Mephiles would've chocked Silver to death, but with all of his might and courage, he decided that this was the time to use the special ability that Mephiles had been seeking all this time. The albino flashed a temporary blue and used his telekinesis on this dark predator and threw him off of himself. Mephiles yelled out in disbelief as he was thrown backwards and sent crashing into the stone façade, cursing as stones toppled over him. Right at this moment, Silver took this chance to flee and disappear through the flames and deadly maze of gunfire.

"Silver! Come back you! Where do you think you're going?"

He ignored this, knowing that he didn't have to believe these threats anymore.

"There are loyalists surrounding the entire fort Silver! How do you think you'll escape _them_?"

Silver continued to run for his life, and sprinted through the flames and made for cover to avoid shells and sniper fire. Some pieces of shrapnel and stone have punctured varies parts of his body, and he was losing a significant amount of blood. But while his heart was still beating like a horse, he ran another hundred meters past the other men that were still at their posts and defending their land. As he escaped through the gaps in the stone barricades and made it outside, he decided to sneak through the on the backside of the fort. Luckily, unlike the front side, the landscape behind the redoubt was covered by shrubs and thick grooves of trees, allowing for Silver to pass through in stealth. Carefully, Silver made his way through the bushes, and swore to not snap a twig to revel his location. It was difficult to keep his sanity, however, because in the darkness, Silver swore he could feel himself stepping over dead corpses that were lying in the ground. And this was affirmed when Silver suddenly froze, and noticed another rebel comrade race past him who was trying flee the scene as well. While he was making a lot of noise from running so fast, Silver was about to quietly call him out and decide to work together, but suddenly the terrified man abruptly fell dead, not making another sound. Silver quietly shrieked at first, unable handle the fact that he had just witnessed someone suddenly die. Covering his own mouth with his hand that instinctively came up, he peered over the tree trunk that has hiding behind to observe what anything else.

And to his horror, another soldier emerged from his hiding spot, and stood up in the pale moonlight as he grinned at his marksmanship. He was in a different uniform, and sewed onto his shoulder was the czar's coat of arms that gleamed in the light, and this confirming that he not going to be friendly.

It appears that there are loyalist snipers hiding in the forest, hiding in the trees. Each of them equipped with their own rifle and ready to execute those trying to flee.

In the distance, he could still hear artillery going off, and men screaming in horror as they were shot. The sounds of death made Silver queasy, and it was difficult to focus on the word 'escape' since everyone else was ordered to stay behind. As Silver cautiously went on, the shrubs became thicker, and it was more increasingly difficult to maneuver through the vegetation. And worst of all, Silver was making so much noise now by rattling so many leaves. Numerous times, the hedgehog heard a bolt go off, and a metallic shot would narrowly miss him each time.

How could not stop, but something caused him to freeze in his tracks unexpectedly, he wasn't sure why though. He wasn't hit, but did he just hear something ruffling in the bushes too?

Through erect ears, he peered at the greens against the darkness, but could not see anything, hoping to meet another fleeing rebel. Nevertheless, he certainly heard something out there, someone else was following him.

Before moving on, the terrified hedgehog unsheathed his hunting knife and drew it out at the ready, just to be safe. Cautiously, he spun around in more circles, ensuring that the forest was completely absent of other foreign presence. Slowly he carried on, only to have something trip him.

With a loud and clumsy grunt, Silver fell to the muddy ground as his knife disappeared in the bleak darkness.

"Whaa?" muttered Silver as he looked up.

And on top of him stood are dark figure, it was a tall man, wearing a hat and carrying a rifle on his hands. Immediately at the sight of meeting a soldier, Silver cried out as he scrambled back on his feet to escape this captivator. But as he got up, he was simply given a smack to the head with the butt of the rifle that caused him to lean to one side and fall over clumsily once more. Chuckling, the sniper walked over to him and picked him up by the quills, and looking at what he had just caught.

"What's this? Another soldier of the rebel army trying to escape, hmmm?" teased the man in an terrifying voice as he examined Silver's torn uniform.

Desperate, Silver had no strength left in his telekinesis, but administered a solid kick to the man's groin, which caused this soldier to drop him and cry out in bittersweet pain.

"Ahh!"

As Silver dashed through the bushes for his life, he desperately ran in any direction that was possible, just to escape this man who wanted him dead.

"Trying to get away little boy? I'll get you good this time!" More rapid shots went off, and Silver covered his head and ducked as he ran.

But as he scurried, he bumped into another sniper, and this one caught him too. Screaming for mercy, Silver flailed his arms madly and begged for freedom as the other one plucked him by the quills. His crying was obnoxious, and a normal gentleman would gag his mouth with his hand or a roll of tape. But these two were men who were bloodthirsty for pain from the effects of war, and both loved to hear the bitter melody of the innocent and suffering such as this.

Snickering, the two towering men listened to Silver wailed as they abused and tortured him before stabbing him to death with a bayonet; first by slamming his head repeatedly into the muddy ground, then by tearing off his uniform and observing him completely naked. Finally, Silver found it useless to resist, and immediately cut off his own cries as the first sniper that found him drew out a long knife and pointed it towards his furry belly.

"How about we encarve our names on this little fucker? What say yee Henry?"

"Sure thing! I call gutting him after!"

And of all the ways he could've died, he just had to find himself here in this horrifying position. He could've been hung, or better yet, simply just shot in the head.

But right when Silver felt the tip of the blade reach his chest, a bloody gurgle was heard, and suddenly both men wore deathly expressions, like they were shot in the head. His rapists coughed out wads of blood as they collapsed and fell to the mucky ground, with Silver realizing that someone had stabbed both of them down the neck.

As he held his breath, Silver noticed another dark figure standing over the two dead corpses. He wasn't sure if it was just his desperation, but he was darn sure there was another prominent person standing over him.

It was a hedgehog, with its back quills sticking upward in the shadows as they made a shape in the faint moonlight.

Could it be? Mephiles! Somehow all this time, he had been following him.

Silver let out a shriek as he tried to stumble back on his feet, now escaping yet another. To his defense, Silver abruptly threw an uncoordinated punch at this black silhouette, but this shadow effortlessly caught his hand, and twisted his arm which drew out a loud cry of pain. The albino wrestled to liberate his twisted arm, but suddenly this person silently lashed out and gripped him by a specific part of the neck that cut off his blood flow to the head.

The move was lethal, and within a few seconds, Silver collapsed to the floor with a heavy thud, muttering, "Ugghhhm…" as he was stoned out. He should've known that he was so weak without his powers.

And in response to all of the commotion, another sniper shot shrieked through the air that nearly hit either of them. Hoisting the body up and over his shoulder, the silent dispatcher disappeared quietly into the trees without leaving clues behind for his shooters.

Silver was completely limp, and had no conscience as he drooled over the shoulder. His kidnapper, however, continued to run, and quietly make his way around the forest. At last, when the sounds of the fort could faintly be heard and the booming sounds of the battlefield were no more, the dark figure carefully dropped his victim to the soft ground.

Resting Silver's muddy head against a rock, he carefully examined the ivory hedgehog, first by studying his lacerations and severe areas that were spilling blood. Grunting to himself, he pulled out a roll of linen bandages and a glass bottle of rubbing alcohol, preparing to begin his medical work on the ivory hedgehog, once more.

Tacitly under his breath, the silhouette muttered something as he made his first bandage wrap on the left arm.

"Found you."


	8. Captive Liberation

"Status, Lieutenant?" asked the fat man in his leather chair as he sipped an iced glass of Vodka.

"The rebel's fort has been taken down sire. These nasty little buggers never stood a chance. The extraction of their supplies and troops is currently underway."

"Good! Good! Send a letter to our beloved Czar, he'll be sure to reward us as promised."

"Yes sir."

"General!" abruptly shouted another tall man entering the tent as the other left.

"What is it soldier? Have you brought me my personal maid yet?" he grunted loudly as he stretched in his chair, with the buttons threatening to pop at any given moment.

"Negative, I have something to show you."

The general raised an eyebrow, but grudgingly got up from his chair. Taking off his hat, the soldier kept the entrance flap open in respect for his leader as the bulky man left first. And to his surprise, the whole field outside was filled with rows of men tied down in endless lines, with all of them surrounded by the loyalist soldiers armed to the tooth.

Alarmed, the overweight general faced the soldier.

"What is this? Who are these captured men that you bring me?"

"Sir! We caught these men as they tried to break through our western perimeter. Their attempt was bold, but nevertheless, extraordinarily futile." He grinned deviously, "They in are in your good hands now, sire."

"Rebel soldiers hmmm? Trying to break my own men?" The fat general pondered to himself, thinking of what to do with half a thousand men. After much debilitation in his narrow head, he spoke.

"Execute them right away." He stated extremely nonchalantly, "Kill each and every one of them. Show them no mercy."

"S-sire?" asked the soldier in alarm. "I must object, b-but it's not simply possible to behead this many men. Why not turn hand them over to th—"

"I said, 'execute', soldier." Growled the general as he gripped his friend by the collar, "Do you not comprehend?"

"But for the good of God sir!" objected the militant, "It w-would be a crime to kill this many pe-"

His sentence was cut off with a sharp punch to the chin which make a sickening cracking sound. After partially breaking his jaw, the fat man dropped him and the ground and spat on him.

"Good of GOD?" He howled in laughter. "Where is God in warfare? These are men that do no deserve the mercy of anyone! Kill them."

The soldier stood up quivering and clenching his sore jaw, unable to speak loudly. Something had dawned in him, and he was growing a sense of pity for capturing the men in the first place.

"Are you just going to stand there?" Asked the general cracking his knuckles.

"N-no, sir! Your wish is my command...(I guess)" he stammered in partial guilt as he walked away to carry out the command. There was a heavy atmosphere in the yard, like someone could already see the spirits escaping these already dead captives. Right when the soldier was about to talk to the others, the general barked up another order.

"Soldier?" asked the fat general as his comrade left.

"Yes sir?"

"And bring out the leaders in charge of these divisions. I want to see them alive. Decapitate everyone else."

"Affirmative sir, right away."

The general grunted again and retreated to the inside of his tent. Feeling rather exhausted, he took off his military coat and unbuttoned the top collar. Reaching for the jade bottle on his desk, he poured himself yet another generous serving of Vodka, but made sure to dilute the mixture in ice at a precise amount. As he tore open his military dialogue to track the events, the sound of repeated gunfire could be heard outside, and the cries of dying men screaming for humanity accompanied the deafening noise. The general only smiled at this, however, and found the clamor like sweet music to his ears.

And while he was right in middle of writing his last sentence, the Lieutenant returned and entered the tent, along with his prisoner standing next to him.

"My lord! We found the only leader; the others claim that she is the last one left from this division."

"Only one leader? A pity…" muttered the fat man in his chair. The rebel captive standing there had her hands behind her back, but she eyed this lazy blob sitting before her with pure hatred, pained that she has to listen to her own dying men in the background.

"A female, hmm? It's quite rare to find one in war; are you sure it's this one?"

"Affirmative, she claims to be it herself."

"Very good. Now leave us!"

And with that, it was the prisoner and this fat man left alone in the quarters. As the man took another sip from his glass, he graciously offered for the captive to sit. She only stared at him in contempt, however, refusing to say a single word.

**Author's note: **

**Some people have asked me WHY everyone is talking in such weird English. Like using the words, "Milady", and "Sire", or "I beg your pardon."  
****Well, if one cannot infer by now, this setting has been set to the Enlightenment age, which is around 1800 to 1900.  
So there's your littl' explanation for the sill' ol' European style English for ya' mate! :)  
****Please stop asking me silly questions before I get mad, or before Silver hurts himself with the guillotine I have set up in my props for this story...**

**Silver: I'll _h_****_urt_ myself?** I beg your Pardon, sire?

**...uh...**

**Okay, fine...I admit. It is kinda annoying in some places, but I'll keep it minimal while keeping the character profiles true and setting in harmony. Happy now? Good, well I am! (kinda...I guess.)**

**Silver: F*ck this s*it! Get on with the d*mn story will you?  
**

**Okay, maybe a little too much of a modern vernacular... Oh, btw, who finds Silver's voice unbearable in the video game?**

**Silver: I swear I'll bite your head off one day...**


	9. Broken Triad

"Will he live?"

"He'll live."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure,"

"How did you find him?"

"Don't ask."

"Does he still remember us?"

"I doubt it."

"Where has he been all this time? Hiding alone?"

"No."

"What should we do after he gets better?"

"You tell me smart one. Introduce ourselves again and hope he remembers?"

"But you know we can't stay here. The czar will just find us again, or perhaps even worse, the rebel army."

"We'll hide _with_ him then. But we are not leaving him alone like last time."

"He's still a young child, I guess..."


	10. Importance

The sunlight broke free from the horizon line and began its ascent in the breeze to liberate the fields from their shadows. Permafrost that buried itself deep in the cracks in hopes of escaping the light was now exposed. But in allegiance with the cold air, the defiant ice did not melt accordingly to the sun. Only the faint sounds of trickling water could be heard, and the winter pigeons sang its morning song as they darted off to greet their neighbors. The delicate, but articulate notes of the opening call accompanied the sound of flowing water, and as the persistent legend always says, the sun is the universal object of beginning the day.

But it would be the last time the light would reach the sky; for the year is coming to a close and winter is drawing near.

Barren wastelands have become rigid and harsh, unwilling to let the fallen men on the battlefield decay. There is not much snow in this region of the country, but layers of permafrost cover the grounds instead. Off in the icy distance, a dark figure can be seen trudging through the frozen mud and trampling over the frozen corpses that were half rotted. He did not seem affected by the disgusting scenery; the figure simply brushed these hopeless bodies aside like peasants at a march.

He nonchalantly approached the stone fortress, only to have the guards from the nearest watch tower spot him. Alarmed and caught by surprise by the person walking alone at this time of day, they alerted one another of a foreigner's presence at the gates. Soldiers dressed in hefty fur coats marched out the gate and confronted this stranger approaching their stronghold. The one in the lead held his flat palm out and ordered the stranger to stop, in which the unknown figure promptly obeyed to this command. There was a moment of interrogation, until the unusual person tilted up his head and revealed his identity to the men armed with their weapons. And immediately, they understood: this was no stranger after all.

After moments of apologies for misunderstanding, the uniformed men half-heartily welcomed this person inside. An iron winch groaned in defiance as a pair of chains pulled on the gates and hoisted the bars up. Until the moment was right, the unknown crouched under the bars and welcomed himself into the villages and outskirts.

He received quite a few stares of uncertainty as for his presence is not common, nor is it ever expected. The shadowy figure did not bother revealing himself yet, and carried on towards the royal quarters. He dragged his worn leather shoes across the gravel path and passed others who were huddled in layers of thick wool and cloth, shivering pathetically as the civilians tried to stay warm.

Villagers and loyalists of the great czar had retreated into their shelters to escape the bitter cold: winter in this place is known to be most unforgiving, especially with all of their food contributed to the czar; there was nothing left for them to eat except for mushy potatoes and cold bean soup.

His endless walking finally led him to a complex neighborhood of fancy housing that was bordered by a perimeter of iron fencing. Beyond the protective perimeter are the gardens along with the servants and aristocrats busily chattering as they strolled down the paths in the frozen gardens.

He made his way past these people and entered the main house that was the residence of the great Czar of the country. Men in uniforms standing aside checked him thoroughly and searched his pockets, temporarily confiscating his arms.

"What news do you bring to the great leader today, peasant?" asked the rough man supervising the pat down.

"Confidential issues sir; none of which are your concern." He merely replied in a dry voice. It sounds as if he is in dire need of a drink. His ambiguous response evoked even more uneasy stares, but the men eventually allowed him to pass. In addition to taking his personal sword and revolver, some of the deceitful bodyguards had seized some handfuls of money from the stranger during the confiscations. They gleefully snickered in victory and ruffled through the paper bills as the stranger proceeded to the front doors, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he was robbed.

They weren't totally aware of exactly who they had just pick pocketed, however.

The solemn figure just carried on through the doors and closed them with a clamorous slam. He took a look around the main hall, it was certainly lonely and lacking the presence of other people. All that decorated the austere corridors were endless rows of portraits of previous czars and kings. All of them were burdened with grim faces, suggesting that even these wealthy kings could not achieve such happiness in their lives. The second to last portrait is the current and noble czar, labeled with a name on a gold plate beneath it, reading, "Gerald Robotnick."

He narrowed his eyes, peering at the vibrant portrait that is now in front of him. The man in the picture showed a large resemblance to Gerald, but instead, wore a white laboratory apron and dark grey goggles over his eyes, not glasses. And hugely unlike the rest of the depictions, this man was flaunting a large smile, revealing his perfect teeth and exuberant spirit. Below this picture was the gold plate, and carved into the valuable place card read, Ivo "Eggman" Robotnick.

"Exquisite portraits of my great ancestors, are they not?" suggested an old voice behind the hedgehog. Instinctively, the dark hedgehog spun around to meet this speaker.

And there the great czar was, dressed in his dark green military uniform with various emblems sewed onto the coat. His brown mustache was thick, and nicely protruding from the sides of his face. Yet, from all of the stress as serving Czar of his crumbling empire, he has gone bald. He was standing at the upper floor of the grand hall, but started to make his gracious way down the stairs along the side wall. He was also significantly old now, leaning on his right side was his cane gripped in his hand. His skin is sagging, and he looked like an old dried up prune overall. The stranger tried his best not to laugh at this.

"Ah, Czar Gerald. Pleasure to meet your excellency this afternoon." greeted the hedgehog with simplicity. "I've come for a visit to your place, and wish to share a few urgent words with you. We have lots to discuss about."

"Urgent words?" questioned the fat Czar raising an eyebrow, "Now these days where rebels are raging a constant war against my throne, everything that is said to me must be urgent. You are being too vague here, servant. Elucidate what you want to say; is it really urgent after all, or do you simply have more news to enlighten me about those rebels?"

"I assure you, what I have to say is urgent. Come, shall we talk in the drawing room?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold your horses, knave. I am old, but I do not miss things so easily; according to my military messengers, you were just with the rebels just nights ago, weren't you? Might I ask you first how you got _here_ already? You do not own a horse, nor are there any public railroads that lead to here. You only walked."

"Indeed, I left Kansk last night."

He let out a fake laugh, and did not believe what this spy was saying. "Kansk? From last light? Merely impossible, that town is more than a thousand kilometers away from here. And you're telling me you walked that distance in twelve hours?

"Yes. Didn't I tell you that I'm quick to move?"

"I don't recall you saying that."

"You must've forgotten then. Come, let's find someplace in the castle to talk, shall we?"

They spent their hour together laughing hysterically, slouching in their chairs, but formally drinking wine from glasses with the same etiquette as a British tea party. The fireplace in front of them was roaring loudly and devouring the wood that was fed, leaving soot and ash behind as it only asked for more to burn. On top of the fireplace lined rows of swords and foreign cutlery, seemingly bought from various caravans at a high price. Behind them stood a small table that was burdened with food, produce and hams were spilling over the counter, and grapes were rolling off the edges. Hardly any of it was touched, and eventually the only ones who even touched the hearty food were the fruit flies.

"So," began the hedgehog with a tone of bargain, "I let you take down one army. Where's my prize? What about the reward we agreed on?"

"Reward?" he said unimpressed raising an eyebrow, "I don't believe we settled for any promised reward at this point yet. You are just impatient my spy, you will get your honor when the rebel army is finally crushed under my boot."

"But nevertheless," quickly filled in the hedgehog, "I still respectfully request for something from you. You see, it's necessary that I get something, in order to motivate me. Otherwise…"

"Oh, shut up!" sneered Gerald as he laughed sipping his last drops of wine, "If you really insist, I'd like to give you my early token of gratitude then. Please take it." He reached out, and spilled a handful of golden coins all over the hedgehog's palm. Each of the coins were genuine without a doubt, their brilliance radiating through one's eyes would be enough to capture their greed. But those yellow eyes only blankly stared at each glistening circle, and he still carried that dissatisfied look with his narrow eyes.

"This will only pay for half of it." He muttered.

"Half of what? Your damn rent? What else are you asking of me? An excursion to Germany?" joked Gerald nearly smashing the wine bottle against the wall.

"There's someone specific that I want. I have that person clear in my mind, and she is currently in your hands."

"A she? A mistress? Who are you looking for? I have plenty of concubines if that is what will satisfy your desire. Tell me, what woman do you desire? A young one? If that is what you wish, then off you'll be with her."

"Her name is Blaze. That is who I want."

"W-who?" stammered Gerald chocking up his wine. "I do not own such woman of that name."

"Do not be mistaken, you know her. She is now a prisoner of war, locked up by your men, but spared from the executions last night She has a sense of courage and a taste of benevolence and love. And I want her. When you hear about her, be sure to preserve her and keep the body fresh without injuries."

"I do not know who you are talking about. I assure you, I am not the mistaken one; _you_ are. And just how do you know about these _executions _and prisoners of war?" Gerald raised a suspicious look, "What would you want to do with her? How am I not sure you are trying to pull a move against me and bring her back to the rebels? Now that you bring that instance up, I shall keep her locked up and further protected for your safety, and her safety. Now get out, before you try me anymore and I conjure my personal guards."

"Farewell then, these worthless coins should serve adequate for my reward then. But I expect more in respect of this bargain, you will remember that. I will see you next week or so with more to tell you. And I assure you, the rebels will not take your throne, my excellency. You are safe."

"Fine, fine." Muttered Robotnick, "Whatever guarantee you promise me, I'll be sure to keep track of it. Now leave me."

After his personal spy left, through his windows overlooking the front courtyard, Gerald could see him making is way down the snowy covered steps, then arriving at the security post to leave. Gerald pondered to himself, thinking about this powerful, but dubious demon that sided for him, undercover as a rebel. He then suddenly witnessed his spy give a clean upper cut to one of the guards at the post, and more golden coins spilled all over the snowy cobblestone. He then proceeded to attack the others, and after successfully beating them all down, he nonchalantly went around to retrieve all of the gold coins that he found. Gerald frowned at his behavior, but knew there was always are reason to for his actions.

"Such a strange thing. Perhaps he's more useful than those other three combined."

He lowered his head and slowly rubbed his mustache with his thumb and index finger as he contemplated.

"Maybe they're not necessary after all."


End file.
